The National Security Ministry refuted media reports that it "unduly" arrested and detained a freelance journalist, Sacut Amenga-Etego, for following up on an extortion case.

According to the Ministry, the reporter was arrested based on the orders of the High Court after he filmed the Court’s proceedings without permission.

This, it said, is contrary to reports that the reporter was arrested at the premises of the Court where he had gone to follow up on the case of extortion levelled against some operatives of the Ministry.

“It is worth noting that the journalist was remanded by the same Court to reappear on March 14, 2022," it added.

The National Security Ministry urged the public to disregard the content of the false publication in circulation on social media.

Meanwhile, lawyers for the freelance journalist have questioned the basis for his detention since last week Thursday.

Speaking to JoyNews in an interview, a private legal practitioner, Joe Aboagye Debrah, said his client is yet to be charged despite being in detention for more than 48 hours.

“He’s not been charged with anything, and strangely, they are claiming that it is a judge who has ordered that he be held till March 14, which is absurd because there is no judge in this land who would give such an order.

"No matter what has transpired, I don’t think any judge has ordered that Sacut be held incommunicado till 14th of March.”

“From tomorrow [today], we would be back there [at the Court] to determine what is going on; we’d just have to make an inquiry as to where he is physically and to determine the basis for his detention,” he said.

He added: “If we go and we don’t find adequate responses, then we’d work at law to determine what can be done at law because what is happening should not happen to anybody.”