Journalist with Accra based Citi FM, Umaru Sanda has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the NMC and the GJA over a recent attack on him by some police officers.

In the petition filed by his lawyers, Umaru Sanda called on the IGP to conduct a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the conduct of the police officers in question.

The petition comes after Mr Sanda was subjected to what has been described as an unlawful search by four police officers in Accra.

Narrating events from the scene, Mr Sanda said on the 2nd of January 2021, while driving around the Kwame Nkrumah Circle interchange, he was stopped by four armed policemen who were driving a SWAT branded car with registration number GP 4536.

He added that the armed men demanded to search his car for weapons and drugs.

“Though the stop by the police seemed arbitrary, vindictive and without reasonable cause, as required by law, our client obliged to allow the search but requested, which request was granted, that he records the search on his mobile phone. One of the policemen also recorded the proceedings on his mobile phone device,” the petition said.

However, Mr Sanda said he was not informed of the reasons for their suspicion or of the reasonable cause that justified the search of his vehicle without a warrant.

“The search was done in an intimidating and unprofessional manner. Our client was surrounded by the four armed men who heckled and shouted at him on what to do throughout the search.”

This, Mr Sanda and his solicitors said is a violation of the directive in the Ghana Police Service standard operating procedures in searches of dwellings, other premises and persons.

The petitioners added that “the unprofessional conduct of the policemen was severely harassing and embarassing and was a clear failure of the policemen to handle members of the public with civility in line of duty, as stated in the Police Service Regulations, 2012 (C.176). This event has left our client in a state of fear, distress and trauma as well as damage to his property.

On this note, Mr Sanda wants the culprits brought to book.