Salis Gate Scandal: Kwaku Baako Snitches on Undercover Journalist

Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, the Editor-In-Chief of the New Crusading Guide has blown the cover of the undercover journalist, giving out details about his hideout and his name. 

For veteran journalist who has been at the forefront of jealously guarding and hiding the identity of Anas Aremeyaw Anas, his undercover journalist, observers say their jaws dropped when they heard on Peace FM. 

For daring to capture President Akufo-Addo taking a US$40,000 bribe, Mr Baako who appeared to be doing damage control for his friends in the NPP forced the veteran journalist to become a snitch.

Mr. Baako also denigrated the young undercover journalist calling him names like a “prostitute”

“…This gentleman, Salis (Ahmed) Yakubu Achuliwor, is the guy behind the Salis Newspaper. He’s the guy who did the secret recording of candidate Akufo Addo . This is a guy who I influenced his entry into Tiger Eye. In 2006 I was seated at the Labone Coffee shop and this gentleman walked to me and opened up to me as an NDC activist then, now he’s an NPP member. Even he tried to contest in the primaries in Yapei-Kusaugu (as NPP parliamentary candidate). He is a political prostitute and a mercenary of the highest order, I regret for leading him to see Anas and become a member of Tiger Eye and in four-five months Anas dismissed him and then he set up his own group.

“This is the guy who lied to some people that me, Kweku Baako, I secretly recorded President Akufo Addo when Anas went to show excerpts of his investigative piece #12, to him at the Jubilee House and the case got deflated in court. This is the guy we are dealing with. As I speak I know he’s exited Ghana to Benin. The borders are closed but they are porous so there are entry points that you can’t find an Immigration person there and if you are determined to exit you’ll exit,” Mr. Baako said on radio.

It appeared that Mr. Baako is pained by Salis partnership with Kennedy Agyepong during his fight with he Kweku Baako and Anas. 

“This guy is a mercenary of the highest order, he does these things and sells them. He got into the New Patriotic Party. This guy did the recording, unfortunately for him, we have the original so when he decided to do the fake one in order to blackmail and collected monies from people who didn’t know that the thing was fake. Kwamina (Central Regional Minister) there are people in your party who he went dealing with and who out of panic began to deal with him.”

Many journalists and media practitioners have been shocked by Baako’s snitch, as his revelation breaks a cardinal principle of journalism – protecting sources. 

Mr. Baako has also come across as a hypocrite for many angry journalists because this was the same man who fought tooth and nail to protect the identity of his protégé, Anas Aremeyaw Anas after Anas’ expose of Kwesi Nyantakyi, former GFA President, incurred the journalist anger.

Kweku Baako went as far as to sue over threats on Anas’ life over the expose which the journalist had titled, “Number 12.”

But many media watchers are also sympathetic towards the Crusading Guide boss because threats have already begun coming from high-ups in the ruling New Patriotic Party over the expose that forever mars President Akufo-Addo as a bribe taker.

Samuel Bryan Buabeng, a Presidential Staffer has been blaming Kweku Baako for recruiting and training the guy who has undone the President. On Facebook, he writes, “Mr. Abdul Malik Kweku Baako should blame himself, for recruiting and training people into such vicious enterprise. Now it’s clear that the negatives of their so called secret filming outweighs the positives. His current and former boys have benefited immensely from this treacherous agenda, than the state and citizenry they claim they’re protecting or working in their interest.”

Many observers feel the threats on Mr. Baako are what conspired to force him to shoot off his mouth, without any regard for the tenets of his vocation.