Nana Darkwa, the attacked journalist
Two gun-wielding men and a 14-year-old girl have been arrested by the police at Nkawkaw, in the Eastern Region, for forcefully breaking into the house of an Nkawkaw-based journalist, Nana Darkwa, and his pregnant wife, Detective Corporal (Det Cpl) Gifty Asare Brenya, threatening to kill them.
The two men, Joe and Boateng, have since been granted a police enquiry bail by the Abetifi district court.
Narrating the incidence to the Daily Statesman, Det Clp Brenya, who works with the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Command, said she and his journalist husband and six daughters, between the ages of one and 12, live at Wisiwisi, a suburb of Nkawkaw, off the Nkawkaw–Pankese road.
She said on Friday January 17 2020, around 7:30 am, while leaving for work, she met a 14-year -old girl heading towards their house. She said since their place is a new site which is quite far from the main town and also in the bush, she questioned the young girl who claimed she was going to play with her kids.
Distress call
She disclosed that at 5:01 pm on the same day, she had a distress call from a drug store operator at Wisiwisi that her house had been attacked by gunmen who had held her kids hostage. Det Clp Brenya said she quickly rushed to the house with colleague police officers, and found that though her house was forcefully broken into, her kids were unhurt.
She stated that her 12-year-old daughter explained to her that the 14-year-old girl had come to the house later in the day with one masked man who was wielding a gun. The daughter, according to Det Cpl Brenya, said when they entered the house, they held the kids hostage and asked of the whereabouts of their parents.
She stated that her daughter had mustered the courage to tell the masked man that they had called their police officer mother who was on her way to the house with other police officers. The girl was said to have added that any attempt by the man to harm any of them would lead to them being hunt down by the police.
The threats of the girl, according to the mother, scared the 14-year-old girl who pleaded with the masked man not to do anything to the kids.
She indicated that the man left without taking anything from the house, giving an indication of their intention for going to the house.
Pay off
Det Cpl Brenya said upon reaching the house, following the distress call from the drug store operator, they followed the lead from the kids which led to the arrest of the 14-year-old girl. Writing her caution statement, the girl, according to Det Cpl Brenya, said she was only asked by the men to take them to the house and did not know their intentions until they entered the house. She said they sought to give her GHC20 for taking them there. She added that she refused the amount and that led to struggle with the gunmen.
According to her, as a result of the struggle she was able to unmask the man, and realised it was one Joe, a guy she knew at Pankese. She added that later one of the guys, whom she identified as Boateng, and was hiding in the bush at the time of entering the house, came out to join Joe to drive away in an unregistered red and yellow matic taxi.
Displeased
The journalist is not pleased with the charge, saying it is not strong enough. The two men have since been charged with unlawful entry, abetment of crime and house detention.
Nana Darkwa, who is a morning show host at Nkawkaw-based Obuoba FM, speaking to the Daily Statesman, said, “It is clear that the police and the media are under attack in this country. Recently, a police officer has been killed in the Central Region. If these guys had met my wife or me or both of us, they would have shot us to death and you give them these charges, there is something fishy going on,” he said.
Det Cpl Brenya, for her side, stated that she feels her colleagues are not protecting her and the family enough. “My brother, do you know the police had given them bail without my notice. Even before they were arraigned before court, these guys could have come back to our house to finish what they started without us knowing,” she said.
Meanwhile, the two suspects are to reappear in court on February 17 2020.
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