Exposed: Face of thug who attacked JOYNEWS journalist at Ablekuma North rerun

This is the face of the man who assaulted JOYNEWS digital journalist Sally Martey during violent scenes at the Ablekuma North constituency parliamentary rerun on Friday, July 11, 2025.

The man, wearing a cloth mask that partially concealed his face, deliberately turned toward Sally as she walked near the St. Peter’s Society Methodist Church polling station. He approached her from behind and launched a vicious and unprovoked attack, slapping and shoving her forcefully.

“I did nothing. He just came at me and attacked me,” a shaken Sally recounted after the incident.

Sally Martey, known for her extensive on-the-ground coverage of major protests and political events in Accra, was on assignment to report on the rerun when the assault occurred. The attacker is believed to be part of a group of well-coordinated thugs who stormed the polling station, disrupting the voting process.

The attack on Sally is just one of several disturbing incidents recorded during Friday’s exercise. Earlier, a GHOne TV journalist was also assaulted—this time by a police officer. The officer involved has since been interdicted and referred to the Police Professional Standards Bureau.

In a separate incident that has since gone viral, former Fisheries Minister and Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East, Mavis Hawa Koomson, was physically assaulted and pushed to the ground by a group of unidentified men during the chaos.

The election was marred by chaos.

The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and other media advocacy groups have strongly condemned the attacks, calling them cowardly and a direct threat to press freedom and democracy.

With the rerun marred by violent disruptions, media watchdogs and election observers have warned of a dangerous trend of rising hostility toward journalists in Ghana’s democratic space.