EIGHT years after the alleged assault of Multimedia Journalist, Latifu Iddrisu, by police personnel, the Ghana Police Service has initiated steps to compensate him.
Mr Iddrisu was reportedly attacked while covering the arrest of Mr Koku Ayindoho, former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, on March 27, 2018, at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Previous attempts at out-of-court settlement in 2018 and 2023 had failed.
On Tuesday, State Attorney, Nancynita Twumasi Asiamah, told Justice Eudora Christina Dadson that the Attorney General and current Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, had committed to compensate the journalist to bring finality to the matter.
She said the defence witness failed to appear in court due to progress in the settlement process and prayed the court to discontinue the trial.
Mr Iddrisu’s lawyer, Sampson Lardi Anyenini, welcomed the settlement effort but urged that the trial and negotiations continue concurrently to prevent setbacks.
Justice Dadson granted a month-long adjournment for settlement terms to be submitted, adjourning the case to April 2, 2026, and ruled that the trial would resume if no agreement was presented.
Mr Iddrisu and Multimedia Group sued the IGP and the Attorney General for GH¢10 million in damages, citing assault while performing his duties.
According to the lawsuit, police officers violently restrained Mr Iddrisu, slapped him, and hit him on the head with a gun butt, leaving him injured and vomiting blood.
Multimedia Group is seeking special, general, exemplary, and aggravated damages, in addition to legal costs.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
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