Metro TV responds to “attack” on premises by armed policemen

Management of Ignite Media Group (IMG), the operators of Metro TV, Original TV, and Original 91.1 FM, has issued a response following the disruptions at their North Ridge, Accra, premises on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Around 9:30 a.m., armed policemen, a court bailiff, and an auctioneer stormed the premises, claiming to be executing a court order to enforce a judgement against Metro TV. According to a statement from IMG, the auctioneer, identified as George Addo, along with the bailiff and armed policemen, forcibly entered the Good Morning Ghana studio during the live broadcast.

“The auctioneer declared an avowed purpose to disrupt the live Good Morning Ghana Programme and instructed his team to break into the studio, which they did, leading to the disruption of the live broadcast,” IMG stated.

This incident marks the latest in a series of confrontations involving Addo. IMG revealed that last year, Addo led a group of heavily armed, masked policemen to block the vehicle of Good Morning Ghana host Dr. Randy Abbey in an attempt to seize his personal vehicle. The effort was thwarted when Dr. Abbey resisted, asserting that the property in question was his.

Wednesday’s disruption led to chaos as staff and security officers resisted what they described as an improper attempt to halt a live broadcast. “The auctioneer and the armed policemen used excessive force, causing head injuries to a private security officer stationed at Metro TV,” IMG said. The altercation resulted in the abrupt termination of the program.

The situation quickly gained the attention of the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, who personally intervened. The IGP dispatched a team of officers to the scene to restore order and instructed the auctioneer, bailiff, and armed policemen to leave. “The IGP has assured us of a thorough investigation and the provision of adequate security at the premises of IMG,” the management of IMG stated.

IMG condemned the actions as an irregular attempt to disrupt a live media program and reassured stakeholders of their commitment to ensuring the continuity of their operations.