Ahmed Suale Said His Life Was Under Threat From ‘The Powers That Be’ – CPJ

he international association of journalists, Committee to Protection of Journalists (CPJ), has joined journalists in Ghana to mark the second anniversary of the assassination of investigative journalist, Ahmed Hussain Suale, revealing the slain journalist had been apprehensive about his life being under threat.
In a statement, the CPJ said just before his murder Suale had reported to them that “the powers that be” may just kill him and get away with it.
“Prior to his killing, Hussein-Suale told CPJ that he was aware of the threats against him and that those who sought to harm him were “associated with powers that be in Ghana and can do anything and get away with it.” Those words have echoed forward these past two years in the cavernous absence of accountability,” the CPJ statement said.
“The powers that be” in this context appears to refer to the Akufo-Addo government which has failed to apprehend even one suspect two years after Suale was killed in traffic by gunmen in traffic at Madina, a suburb of Accra.
The slain journalists had been a part of an investigative squad led by undercover journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas, which had exposed rot in Ghana football using secret recordings and set up.
As part of the revelations, former Ghana Football Association President, Kwesi Nyantakyi, had been caught soliciting for a US$11million bribe from a supposed investor who was in fact an undercover journalist.
Nyantakyi had been captured in the videos revealing that he intended to give $5million of the bribe to President Akufo-Addo and $3million to Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia over whom he had boasted that they were people in his pocket.
After the revelation, the NPP MP for Assin Central, Ken Agyapong became angry, went on his radio station and posted Suale’s photographs while placing a bounty on his head.
A few days later two gunmen on a motorbike waylaid Suale in traffic and shot him dead at close range.
The Akufo-Addo government has since been promising to investigate and bring perpetrators to book, but two years after the gruesome murder on January 16, 2019, no perpetrator has been arrested.
Last year, a video emerged of President Akufo-Addo allegedly taking a US$40,000 bribe from another investigative journalist associated with Anas Aremeyaw Anas. Allegedly, Yakubu Suale, the one who had taped the President allegedly taking a $20,000 bribe had been mistaken for Ahmed Suale, with whom he bore the same “Suale” name, and that Ahmed had been killed in an attempt to ensure the $40,000 bribe tape did not emerge.
Meanwhile, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has also demanded justice in the Ahmed Suale murder. In a statement signed by General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger. it said the commemoration of the assassination is not enough.
“On behalf of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), I want to honour his memory and work as a shining example of the mission of journalism…As the world’s largest organization of journalists, we cannot let any crime against a media worker go unpunished. Impunity is a passport to more violence and attacks against our colleagues. Two years ago year they killed Ahmed, but how can we guarantee that tomorrow another sister or brother will not be killed when the perpetrators of these crimes know they will remain unpunished?” IFJ wrote