Pressure group, OneGhana Movement has called on the Ministry of National Security to abort its plan to investigate the alleged assault of Citi FM’s journalist, Caleb Kudah.

According to the Group, drawing on precedence, they are certain that nothing will become of the Ministry’s investigation and has therefore reiterated calls for an independent body of inquiry to investigate the said allegations.

“We condemn the barbaric acts and join calls for the announced investigations by the Ministry of National Security to be aborted. We condemn the barbaric acts and join calls by other well-meaning organizations for an independent body to be set up by government to investigate this issue as a matter of urgency.” a press statement issued by OneGhana Movement in Accra Friday said.

The Movement stated that the impunity with which the National Security operated, threatens Ghana’s democratic experiment and undermined the rule of law.

“The action of the National Security operatives amounted to an illegality and a breach of the Constitution (1992), which guarantees the fundamental human rights of ALL PERSONS. All persons including state institutions are subject to the rule of law,” it said.

They stated that if truly Caleb Kudah had overstepped his boundaries by taking pictures of a National Security installation, the Ministry was expected to have exercised the rule of law to bring the journalist to book.

They said the actions of the National Security in what ensued was tantamount to usurping the powers of the Inspector General of Police and a breach of the 1992 Constitution.

“It is also worrying to note that the National Security is almost operating a “Police Service”. The National Security Ministry is not a police service, it is an intelligence agency and should operate as such.

“Article 200 (2) provides that no person or authority shall raise any police service except by or under the authority of an Act of Parliament. The modus operandi of the National Security, as it is now, amounts to usurpation of the powers of the IGP and a breach of the constitution of Ghana.”

They added that “similar findings were made against the National Security in the Ayawaso West Commission Report where the Commission recommended among others that the SWAT team be disbanded. These recommendations, to date, have been ignored.

“We recall that when Mr. Emmanuel Ajafor, a journalist with Modern Ghana was arrested by National Security operatives in a similar incident, the National Security Ministry issued a press statement in which they promised to investigate the matter, but nothing came out of it.”

They have therefore called on the President to constitute a panel of eminent persons for a public inquiry opened to all who have ever encountered such treatment constantly reported in the media and by lawyers, to testify. This will ensure a holistic investigation for lasting reforms to be implemented.

They called for a similar investigation to be extended to the National Investigation Bureau.

“The President must undertake at the outset, to accept and implement this commission’s report within three months of submission of same without varying the recommendations that will be made.”