The Ghana Journalists’ Association (GJA) has condemned an attack on a Daily Graphic reporter at the Bright Senior High School in the Eastern Region.

The agitated final-year students assaulted Damalie Emmanuel Pacome, who was stationed at the examination centre to report on happenings during some disturbances that erupted as the West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (WASSCE) went on on Thursday, 6 August 2020.

The rioting students were allegedly incited by their proprietor to beat up some officials of the West African Examination Council (WAEC) for not denying them the chance to cheat during the Social Studies paper.

Describing the incident as “an act of savagery”, the GJA called for “a thorough investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators.”

In a statement released on Friday, 7 August 2020 and signed by The Eastern regional GJA chairman, Maxwell Kudekor, the GJA demanded that such acts of gross indiscipline and vandalism are not condoned, adding that the Association will “resist fearlessly any attempt of attack” in their line of duty.

“We will not appear vulnerable again in our quest to serve society with credible accurate news with speed,” the statement reiterated.

It added: “This action should be within the context of dealing with recent acts, gross indiscipline and vandalism in various Senior High Schools in the country before the situation spins out of control,” said GJA in a statement released August 7.

“The mob attack and near-lynching of Damalie Pacome has afflicted our souls and caused irremediable pains in our heart. But for the divine intervention of God, Ghana would have wakened with a gory news of another mob attack and killing of a young journalist,” the statement further read.

According to the statement, the Association has involved the Eastern Regional Police Command to ensure that they investigate swiftly and ensure justice.

“We are particularly interested in this matter and we expect the police administration to handle it swiftly and ensure that justice is served,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, The Eastern Regional Police Command has arrested the proprietor of Bright Senior High School at Kukurantumi in the Eastern Region, Mr Bright Amponsah who incited the students to stop writing the Social Studies paper, leading to protests by the students and the attack on some WAEC officials over strict invigilation while they were supervising the ongoing WASSCE examination.

It was around that time that Emmanuel Damalie Pacome was assaulted.

The Kukurantumi incident is one of many such happenings. So far, students of Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School and Juaben Senior High School, both in the Ashanti Region; as well as their colleagues at Ndewura Jakpa Senior High Technical School in the Savanna Region, have rioted over strict invigilation and the difficulty of the exam questions.