According to the court, each person is to pay an amount of GH¢2,400.  

The convicts were charged with conspiracy to commit crime and rioting. They pleaded guilty to the charges. 

This follows their invasion of UTV studios on Saturday, October 7, 2023, during the live broadcast of United Showbiz.

In their view, the show had become a platform where the government has consistently been unfairly criticised in an unprofessional manner.

They again alleged that a letter from the NPP to the management of UTV to reform the show was torn apart on-air by A Plus, also a political activist and a regular panelist of the show.

The police subsequently arrested and prosecuted them accordingly. 

Following the invasion, the National Media Commission and the Ghana Journalists Association condemned the incident.

According to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the act was both “barbaric and medieval, and it is very much consistent with the building blocks in recent times to establish a state of impunity against the media, one that is worse than the infamous ‘culture of silence’.”

“We wish to inform such evil minds, both orchestrators and actors, that the media in Ghana have survived all forms of clampdown in the past, even under dictatorial regimes, and that we shall never be intimidated or silenced by any form of attack,” the statement from GJA added.

While some party members had tried to deny the affiliation of the group to the NPP, the National Youth Organiser of the party, Salam Mustapha, confirmed that all the young men who invaded the media house were known members of the party.

Speaking on Ghana’s leading current affairs show on radio, Ekosii Sen on Monday, October 9, Salam Mustapha told the host Osei Bonsu [Alias OB], that it would be disingenuous on his part to deny the affiliation of the young men to the NPP.

He, however, explained that the party did not sanction the actions of the youth, comprising of constituency youth organizers and a Deputy Greater Accra Youth Organiser.

“I can’t be on this platform and claim that I don’t know them. All those in the video I know them. And I can confirm that some of them are constituency youth organisers, and one is a Deputy Regional Youth Organiser [Greater Accra]. They are the guys that I work with, and so I cannot deny their bona fide membership to the New Patriotic Party. As for that, I cannot lie on this platform. They’re NPP members that I work with, and I can state emphatically that I know them” he noted. 

ALSO READ:

• There is no justification for UTV invasion by NPP members – Manasseh Azure

• NPP Chairman renders apology to UTV

This follows online videos showing a group claiming to be affiliated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP) storming the UTV studios during a live broadcast to demand an apology from one of the panellists, musician Kwame A-Plus.

They claimed he had insulted the party, the president and the vice president.

According to them, the show had become a platform where the government has consistently been unfairly criticised in an unprofessional manner, to the point that a letter from the NPP to the management of UTV to reform the United Showbiz, was torn apart live on-air by A Plus, also a political activist cum NPP sympathizer and a regular panelist of the show.

In an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, October 14, Mr Azure Awuni said the group’s actions were not justified.

“There is nothing that justifies they [NPP members] going in there to try to force them to do what they want,” he said.

According to him, the NPP had the right and the justification to write to the media outlet to express their displeasure with what they had done, as they had expected some justice from that establishment.

He said the “media organisation should have also distanced itself from whoever tore the letter on live television.”

“Every media organisation operates to satisfy the audience and the NPP members are audience or part of the audience of UTV and so you have to take it whether you accept it or not, it is feedback, you can always argue or even decide to ignore it but they have the right to approach you and tell you their grievances.”

Meanwhile, the National Youth Organiser of NPP, Salam Mustapha, has confirmed that all the young men who were involved in the invasion of the studios are known members of the party.

Many individuals and institutions have condemned the incident.

According to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), the act was both “barbaric and medieval, and it is very much consistent with the building blocks in recent times to establish a state of impunity against the media, one that is worse than the infamous ‘Culture of Silence’.”

“We wish to inform such evil minds, both orchestrators and actors, that the media in Ghana have survived all forms of clampdown in the past, even under dictatorial regimes, and that we shall never be intimidated or silenced by any form of attack,” the statement from GJA added.

ALSO READ:

• NPP Chairman renders apology to UTV

• UTV breaks silence on ‘NPP thugs’ invasion

The leadership of the NPP engaged management on Monday over the incident which occurred last Saturday during the live broadcast of United Showbiz.

However, Mr Ntim decided to publicly apologise to UTV on Thursday October 12,2023.

“On behalf of the party, I’m rendering an unqualified apology to the management of Despite Media, to you Kwami Sefa Kayi, and to all Ghanaians for what happened. The NPP tradition does not countenance such misbehaviour as we are noted to be disciplined people.

You know me; there have been several incidents where I have been provoked, but I never reacted and always maintained my cool and this is the sort of quality I want to transcend to party members from the national to polling station levels. I want everyone to have self-control in our political discourse,” he stated.

Chairman Ntim assured that measures are being put in place to ensure the incident does not repeat itself.

“I want to assure you that going forward, the party leadership will ensure that no such reprehensible act is repeated. We will be guided by discipline in our actions; you can count on us.

Internally, we will put measures in place to ensure that this sort of behaviour does not reoccur. This assurance goes to all media houses across the country,” he noted.

The group made up of constituency youth organisers in the Greater Accra region, invaded the studio to demand the removal of a pundit, Kwame Asare Obeng, popularly known as A Plus.

The group claimed they were infuriated by A Plus’s decision to tear into pieces a letter from the NPP leadership to the management of UTV requesting a reform of the show’s panel to include party representatives.

The swift intervention of the police led to the arrest of 16 who were subsequently granted bail of inquiry.

RELATED:

• I take responsibility for attack on UTV – NPP Youth Organiser

• Attack on UTV: Nothing scares me – A Plus

The visit on Monday was to engage the management and assure them of thorough investigations into the matter.

The General Secretary of NPP, Justin Frimpong Koduah (JFK) revealed this on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen programme Monday.

“The Director of Communication reached out to them immediately after the incident, but we couldn’t have ended with that, so we went there today. It is important to listen to all sides of the story, so I have already engaged the culprits and reprimanded them,” he said.

A group of young men, which the NPP has admitted are some constituency youth organisers in the Greater Accra Region, barged in during the station’s prime-time entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz’ on Saturday.

They temporarily disrupted the show and threatened to beat up the host and her guests on live television.

Their acts have been widely condemned amidst calls for a thorough probe into the incident and for them to face the law.

Speaking on the way forward, Mr Koduah said the issue has been referred to the regional executives to handle it.

He indicated that, if the need arises for the disciplinary committee to take up the case, they will do so.

ALSO READ:

• “UTV thugs” are NPP members – Richard Ahiagbah

• NDC condemns ‘shameful NPP invasion’ of UTV

This, according to Salam Mustapha, is because the culprits are members of the NPP.

In an interview on Asempa FM Ekosii Sen, programme Monday, the NPP Youth leader condemned the attack in no uncertain terms, stating it contradicts what the NPP stands for.

“I can’t deny I don’t know them because I know all of them. Some are Constituency Youth Organisers and one is a Deputy Greater Accra Regional Youth Organiser. They are my own people I work with so I take full responsibility because it is my men who went out to act in that manner,” he said.

A group of young men barged in during the station’s prime-time entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz’, temporarily disrupting the show and threatening to beat up the host and her guests on live television.

Their actions have been widely condemned amidst calls on the police to swiftly probe the incident and bring the perpetrators to book.

However, Salam Mustapha said the attack was not planned because he was not aware until it happened.

“There was no discussion prior to the invasion and I did not sanction this. I didn’t even know about it until it happened. It was just an adrenaline rush in the spur of the moment,” he added.

The NPP National Youth Organiser apologised to the management of UTV over the incident and pledged to cooperate with the police throughout the investigation.

Salam Mustapha also assured stringent measures will be put in place to avert future occurrences.

Meanwhile, 16 people were arrested following the incident on Saturday but have been granted bail.

ALSO READ:

• “UTV thugs” are NPP members – Richard Ahiagbah

• NDC condemns ‘shameful NPP invasion’ of UTV