Dela Russel Ocloo, a journalist with the state-owned Daily Graphic Newspaper was on Sunday harassed, arrested and detained for several hours by the police while covering a demonstration dubbed ‘1000 women march’
A number of women clad red had stormed the Headquarters of the Glorious Wave Church International at Sakumono to protest alleged ethnocentric comments made by the founder Prophet Badu Kobi about Ewe, Ashanti and Fanti women.
The journalist who was there to cover the event was subjected to all forms of inhumane treatment by the man of God and his assignees before being handed over to the police,
Colleague Journalist, Elvis Sarko confirmed Dela of Daily Graphic was detained by Sakumono police for filming in Prophet Badu Kobi’s Church.
Giving full details of how it all happened he said “She went there to cover the demonstration against Prophet Badu Kobi for comments about women from Volta, Ashanti and Fanti. But, she got there around 11:15am by which time the demonstrators had left. She decided to stay and see if the Prophet will react to the issues and the demonstration. While there, the Prophet reacted and made references to tribes. After preaching, Prophet Kobi was walking through the Church’s aisle and laying hands on the people.
In the process, majority of the people were kneeling and holding his shoes while he blesses them. So, the journalist decided to record it because she found that fascinating. In the process, a guy walked to Della Russell requesting she deletes the footage. Then the church members started manhandling her. They surrounded the journalist amidst threats to beat her up if she fails to delete the video.
A woman is said to have picked up a club with nail in it gesturing towards the journalist to hit her. They then called in the police to arrest her. The police came, took her in their pick-up truck and forcibly pinned her down in the car and seized her phones when she demanded to know whether she was under arrest or being taken to Sakumono Police station for protection. At the station, she requested to call her lawyer before she will give any statement. The police refused saying she wasn’t cooperating with them.
Then, the station officer demanded that she be put at the counter back and processed so they can transfer her to Batsonaa Police Station to be detained till tomorrow when they will take her to court. They detained Della Russell at counteract for over an hour before the CID officer came to take her statement. The CID officer then gave Della Russell his phone to call her husband and then her office. Initially, they said they were granting her bail so she will report tomorrow morning. Then, when they started receiving calls, they decided to let her go without charges”
Source: mynewsgh.com
