Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong seems to have landed in the ‘bad books’ of Ghanaians; the powerful figure is being kicked from all sides by Ghanaians on social media following news of the horrific murder of Investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ undercover partner.
The country woke Thursday morning to sad news of the assassination of Ahmed Hussein-Suale who played a key role in Anas’ explosive investigations.
Ahmed reportedly was shot three times, twice in the chest and another in the neck late Wednesday night at Madina in Accra while driving home by unidentified men riding motorbike.
It’s been barely hours since the news was released and yet several fingers seem to be pointing at the Assin Central Member of Parliament over the murder.
Majority of the hits stem from the fact that Mr. Agyapong apparently released the deceased’s pictures sometime back as part of efforts to reveal what he described as ‘hidden secrets’ of Anas Aremeyaw Anas following the explosive Number 12 piece.
In fact Twitter has Kennedy Agyapong at number one on its trends.
While many persons believe the MP must be questioned because his actions may have either majorly or subtly contributed to the demise of the journalist, others believe the accusations may just eventually cover up the real culprits of the crime and, therefore, are calling for caution to be taken.
Meanwhile, Lawyer for undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, has called for Kennedy Agyapong to be questioned following the murder of the Tiger Eye PI team member.
Kissi Agyebeng told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show Thursday that the Assin Central Parliamentarian’s incitement of the public against Ahmed cannot be ignored when investigations are open into the murder.
“He invited the world to beat him up and said he will pay for it and now he [Ahmed] has been killed…he has questions to answer,” Mr. Agyebeng told host, Daniel Dadzie.
Chairman of the National Media Commission Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh on the other hand says the fact that Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong brandished the picture of the slain undercover journalist on television, few months before his killing, does not make him culpable.
According to him, it is not appropriate for people to condemn the maverick legislator on the basis that he exposed the identity of the deceased investigative reporter.
“You cannot just condemn somebody merely because he exposed the photograph of another person, you must understand the circumstances of where he was also coming from."
“We must learn to look at things from certain perspectives. The fact that the photograph was released was not criminal. That he promised to reward anybody who might accost this gentleman is a different thing from exposing the photograph. What we must appreciate is that there is no right that is totally absolute”, he said in an interview with Morning Starr Host, Francis Abban.
Kennedy Agyapong's arrest has been long overdue charle.. eno be this Ahmed case p3 sef. man acts like he is above the law because he is rich sometimes
— Kay ???????? ???????? (@Kaypoisson1) January 17, 2019
how can u tell people to beat someone and that u will pay for damages on T.V and go free..
he be MP oo.. one of our leaders ????
Kennedy agyapong say mek dey kill anas
— Miss Forson (@lydiaforson) January 17, 2019
what an ass
hole dey the bucket mek anas no try seal am?
santaclausians all e b ken i no dey feel am
one day yeh yeh
he’ll say yeh yeh
somtin yeh yeh
inciting yeh yeh
like play yeh yeh
slapping yeh yeh
fighting yeh yeh
dying yeh yeh @wanlov
So, the security is expecting someone to tell them to arrest or invite Kennedy Agyapong for questioning?
— Ibn Munkaila Shirazu MAJORITY (@IbnMajority) January 17, 2019
If I were "somebody" Kennedy Agyapong would have been arrested for the assassination of Ahmed.
RIP #AHMED #JoySMS
Now that one of Anas' guys has been shot dead, I hope Kennedy Agyapong is a happy man. #JoySMS
— F. A. TAYL?R® (@KojoAkyin) January 17, 2019
Kennedy Agyapong is above the law. Nothing will happen to him. Our beloved Ghana.
— General Atopa (A good Ato) (@wofa_slayzie) January 17, 2019
The antics of Kennedy Agyapong is way overboard now. Man has to be brot to law, cos he's rich he thinks the whole Ghana is his, such nonsense.
— ???????? ????????NUNGUA JEFF BEZOS? (@AlBonnyBigaman) January 17, 2019
Even if sm1 wanted the guy dead what he did some months bac gave the person a shortcut to nail him #JoySMS
Kennedy Agyapong to walk free over 2.5..Ghana we dey oo???????? ..Captain Mahama ein killers sef dey alive.Boy boy forget!!
— Nungua Quavo???????? (@Blvck_Boy_Kwesi) January 17, 2019
Anas’ reaction
Investigative Journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas meanwhile has made an emphatic statement to the effect that the incident will in no way ‘silence’ him nor his team members if that is what the assailants sought to achieve by committing the dastardly act.
Anas posted a video in which the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong was issuing threats and wrote “Sad news, but we shall not be silenced. Rest in peace, Ahmed”.
Sad news, but we shall not be silenced. Rest in peace, Ahmed. #JournalismIsNotACrime #SayNoToCorruption pic.twitter.com/Gk2Jdgo6Sn
— Anas Aremeyaw Anas (@anasglobal) January 17, 2019
#Journalismisnotacrime
Ghanaians have also taken to several social media platforms to solidarize with Anas and his team members using the hashtag #journalismisnotacrime.
With various comments, they make points to emphasize the fact that no journalist should be targeted or victimized as a result of their commitment to unveiling the truth in society.
The Ghanaian parliament did not stand up for truth and justice. They continued to harbor a sitting MP who threatened and incited violence against a journalist for exposing corruption. This is fundamentally undemocratic. #JournalismIsNotACrime
— nii (@niikotei) January 17, 2019
These rants of his have come to be considered as "must hear" and "box office". He is allowed space because of his perceived impact on ratings. Time to call out his cowardice.#JournalismIsNotACrime
— Godfred Akoto Boafo (@eastsportsman) January 17, 2019
They killed my friend - 11 months to the day that we all survived near death in Malawi. God Bless You, Ahmed #JournalismIsNotACrime pic.twitter.com/LmenC5N0EA
— DGB (@DariusBazargan) January 17, 2019
