Paramount chief of Wassa Akropong in the Western Region, Omanhene Tetre Akuamoah Sekyim, who has been criticized for forcing a journalist with Rivers FM to kneel in the sun for over three hours, says he has not committed any crime.
According to him, he only punished the journalist who disrespected the traditional authority, to serve as a deterrent to others.
The woes of the Rivers FM journalist began after a Chinese – Jiang Gen Hai – allegedly shot and killed one Nana Buah, a native, recently.
This generated pandemonium in the town when the youth demanded that the Chinese miner be handed to them to avenge the death of their friend.
During the tussle, Larry Saint (the journalist) posted a voice note on a WhatsApp platform for journalists, accusing the chiefs of rather protecting the Chinese against the indigenes.
The audio reached the chiefs who immediately summoned Larry to the palace where he was made to kneel down for over three hours.
The action has incurred the wrath of many Ghanaians, especially journalists who believe the punishment is an infringement on the right of Larry Saint.
But in a quick reaction on Adom FM’s ‘Midday News’ on Friday, the Omanhene said he had not regretted ordering the newsman to kneel down.
“I believe in free speech but it has a limit and I think the journalist was not fair to make such remarks which undermined my authority,” he stated.
However, the Wassa Akropong chief said he never ordered the journalist to kneel in the sun as he wants the world to believe.
Omanhene Sekyim also described as false claims that he intends to banish the Rivers FM journalist.
“I didn’t threaten the journalist like he is saying and so he should stop saying those things. I urge Ghanaians to go and listen to the tape and realize how bad the journalist sounded. I don’t want to make any further comments since the police are investigating the issue,” he added.
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