Minister of Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has urged the Multimedia group, operators of Joy News to apologize for putting out wrong information in their report on the operations of the ‘De-Eye group’ said to be a militia group training at the former seat of government, Christiansburg Castle.
Joy News reported that government had moved to clear out the militia group said to be linked to the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP) from the Castle following a Joy News exposé done by award-winning journalist, Manasseh Azure Awuni, which showed the group has been using the security zone for training since the Akufo-Addo government was sworn in.
The group led by Choman, the former personal bodyguard of President Nana Akufo-Addo according to one of its leaders, Fraser Owireku Kegya has a membership of more than 5000 across the country, mainly made up of NPP youth who believe in the policies and governance of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
But the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has dismissed media reports claiming that the military has gone to clear out, and locked the offices of the De-Eye Group at the Osu Castle.
In a press statement signed and issued by Colonel E. Aggrey Quashie, Director of Public Relations on Saturday, March 9, 2019, the Ghana Armed Forces said “it has not deployed any soldier to the Osu Castle for the stated purpose.”
“Indeed no soldier has been assigned to follow any official to the former seat of Government for such an activity. This allegation is completely false,” the statement from the Public Relations Directorate of the Army stated.
Speaking to host Kwaku Owus Adjei on Anopa Kasapa on Kasapa FM, Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah asked Multimedia group, his former employer to do the honourable thing of coming out publicy to admit that they got their information wrong.
“If you’ve claimed that the army has moved in to clear out militias being trained at the Castle and the Ghana Armed Forces comes out swiftly to deny that report, the honourable thing to do is to humbly apologize for putting out wrong information out there. We all sometimes get it wrong based on the kind of information we are supplied with, it shouldn’t be difficult for Joy News to do the needful of apologizing. I have nothing against Multimedia, I still have very good friends there, but the right thing must be done always.
“There’s no militia or vigilante group at the Castle, it was a private company that operated there and they have since been moved out,” Oppong Nkrumah added.