blank
search-icon
Blog

Ghana, A Journalist Gets Beaten for Asking a Question | He Sues for Assault/Battery & Then DROPS the Case…What Does that Tell You?

Asamoah Gyan and Baffour Gyan
Asamoah Gyan and Baffour Gyan

It would not be far-fetched to say Ghana is a land of comedy—and most Ghanaians have no regard for Justice, their integrity and hardly hold any entrenched worldview. You can almost easily buy everything in Ghana, including buying the conscience of people.

In fact, for financial gains or pocket stability, most Ghanaians have already sold their conscience and do not think beyond the box. Neither do such people live for anything except money—the sad truth is; they would not even accept it.

People care less about having a worldview or opinion or strengthening Justice, and more about money—and you cannot disregard the fact that, a hungry man will always put his stomach first. But at least, the hungry man must recognise that, man does not live by bread alone.

It came as a shock to many of us when Daniel Kenu, Ashanti Regional Editor of the Daily Graphic newspaper was brutally assaulted by Baffour Gyan, the senior brother of Asamoah Gyan for simply asking a question on the minds of many Ghanaians—that, if as speculated, Asamoah Gyan really sacrificed his friend-Castro for riches.

Apart from being a free speech advocate, this question sits well with rationalism—and a simple Yes or No answer would not have killed Asamoah Gyan or anyone. But as usual, egos must have kicked in as known of Ghanaians in authority—be it financial or public elevation, people beneath them have no right to ask questions or challenge their actions.

So after failing to answer this simple question and many at the venue including important Ghana Football Association officials condemned the journalist for asking, Asamoah Gyan’s brother organised some ‘macho’ men to beat the hell out of the journalist- Daniel Kenu.

It came as a relief to some of us when Daniel Kenu sued. Aside the obvious punishment that laid ahead for Baffour Gyan for the battery/assault and the compensation for Daniel Kenu, this was going to serve as a precedent—more of a deterrent to show that we are out of the Stone Age and we have moved past the Animal Kingdom days when the strongest hammered and killed the weak at will.

For those who understand the Ghanaian mindset of money being the ultimate and the most powerful tool any person can have access to, the case was going no where as the Gyans were capable and were going to pay their way throughout. Some of us held the optimism; not everyone had no conscience in Ghana and Daniel Kenu came across as someone who cared little about bribery and more about justice, more so, about his integrity.

And then the Managing Director of the parent company Daniel Kenu works for came out, assuring us that despite efforts by some ‘BIG MEN’ in our society to have them drop the case, they will push through with the ‘prosecution’ as justice is the only remedy left for the poor and weak in a jungle structured country like Ghana. You wouldn’t believe how much this assurance meant to those of us who have realized that, the rich and the powerful have taken the poor and the weak for granted for far too long, including treating them like animals without thinking twice.

Money seems like the most powerful tool in our today’s world but there is another salient instrument that can axe down the might of money—that is integrity and justice. So we were looking forward to an interesting battle between money and integrity, to be refereed by Justice.

Before the battle even started, Daniel Kenu gave up and dropped the case, citing several ridiculous reasons for his action to let go the case—when in fact, many of us know that the old game has been played again, money has won.

According to a letter Daniel Kenu wrote to the Circuit Court to withdraw the case, the sudden death of his Uncle and the fear that the high blood pressure of his mother could get worse should he proceed with the case is one of the key reasons why he lost interest in the pursuit of justice for himself.

I think my mother’s high blood pressure will rather go off the roof if she knows that, anyone with money in today’s Ghana can catch her son and beat the hell of him without the law doing anything about it—and more importantly, the son will not even want to go to court and perhaps take some money from his abuser to drop the case.

I am not saying Daniel Kenu took some money from the Gyans and that is why he dropped the case but that is the only plausible inference that could have made him turn on himself like he has done, by slapping us all in the face.

For such people and things, Ghana will continue to be what it is and more relevance will be given to money and those who have it, with the poor having no say and justice.

I understand this happens else where too but the measure of integrity is not how frequent something happens, but the deep pride that sits with the occurrence.



READ ALSO: Refused A UK Visa? CLICK HERE FOR HELP

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our daily up-to-date news!!

POPULAR POSTS

LATEST NEWS

MORE FROM Blog

4 thoughts on “Ghana, A Journalist Gets Beaten for Asking a Question | He Sues for Assault/Battery & Then DROPS the Case…What Does that Tell You?”

  1. Chris this is sad but that is Ghana for you. Money talks and does all the BS. What was the point of the MD coming out to say only few days ago they will not drop the case and 2 days later they have dropped it? You see Ghana

    Reply

Leave a Reply