The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has condemned the National Security operatives’ alleged unlawful arrest and detention of veteran journalist Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah.

In a press release signed by the General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong on Wednesday, March 19, they branded the act as a desperate attempt by the John Mahama administration to suppress press freedom.

Describing the arrest as “state-sponsored lawlessness,” the NPP decried what it called an escalating pattern of government-backed attacks on the media, warning that such actions threaten Ghana’s democracy.

“This unlawful action by the marauding operatives of the National Security is the latest instalment of the ongoing series of state-sponsored attacks on the media by the NDC government in their desperate attempt to silence the media and curtail press freedom,” the statement read.

The party commended the many Ghanaians who spoke out against the incident, particularly young activists and a legal team who stormed the National Security Secretariat to demand the journalist’s release.

Reminding President Mahama of the legacy he inherited, the NPP asserted that Ghana was a beacon of democracy as of January 7, 2025, with strong institutions and an unwavering commitment to press freedom.

The statement recalled the historic repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Libel Law in 2001, spearheaded by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo when he was Attorney General.

“It is, therefore, completely repugnant and unacceptable for the John Mahama administration to be using State Security to intimidate political opponents as well as media personnel in a bid to silence all critical voices.

"This, in fact, is an egregious affront to our democratic and constitutional tenets,” the party declared.

The NPP called on the Ghana Journalists Association, the Media Foundation for West Africa, Civil Society Organisations, and all relevant stakeholders to resist what it termed a growing culture of oppression.

“Enough is enough,” the statement concluded, issuing a clarion call for the immediate cessation of what it described as tyranny against the press.