Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Sulemana Braimah has described as worrying, the manner in which National Security operatives' invaded the premises of Citi FM to arrest two journalists.

Sulemana Braimah in an interview with JoyNews opined that the security officials could have used a more diplomatic approach to resolve the issue they had with the said journalists.

He said, “I think it will have just taken a call to the management of Citi FM and say look, this is what one of your Journalists has done. We engaged him and we realised that he has transferred the footage to a colleague at the station. These are perhaps sensitive images or images that are not supposed to be shared and we will entreat you to tell the journalist to act responsibly not to send out this photo that has been taken for A, B or C reasons.”

Citi FM Journalist Caleb Kudah was reportedly picked up by National Security operatives.

According to sources, the operatives stormed the premises of the Adabraka-based station to whisk away the journalist and another colleague, Zoe Abu-Baidoo.

The source added that he was arrested for filming a video at the premises of the National Security Ministry.

Unhappy with the approach of the security officials, Mr Braimah is of the view that a dialogue with the management of the media house could have been a suitable alternative.   

“An officer could have been sent there to talk to the management of the station, so for six or so armed policemen to have stormed the station as if they were going to battle with armed robbers and so on, is for me a no-no.”   

Also, adding his voice, a private legal practitioner Samson Lardi Anyenini said a journalist filming abandoned vehicles at a place designated as a security zone is not a crime if it is in the public interest.

Therefore, he says the basis for the arrest of the two journalists is not enough unless it has the backing of a written law.

"No person shall be convicted of a criminal offence unless the offence is defined and the penalty is prescribed in a written law. So If you say you are arresting me, you must read to me the offence and the offence must not be a writing on the wall."