A freelance journalist in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region says he fears for his safety after alleging that the Member of Parliament for the Sege Constituency, Daniel Keshi Bessey, and local party officials subjected him to threats and abusive language following his questioning of a public matter.
Joseph Akrofi Ocansey, a journalist based in Sege, says the incident has left him traumatised and largely confined indoors, amid fears of possible retaliation for his work.
According to Ocansey, the confrontation followed a phone discussion with officials of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) after he made a social media post questioning claims that ten security protocol slots had been allocated to the constituency — an issue he describes as a legitimate public-interest inquiry.
He said the call initially involved party officials Freeman Edjeodji, identified as a communications officer, and Prosper Akortia, the youth organiser. Ocansey alleges that the MP joined the call without his prior knowledge.
An audio recording obtained by the media captures an exchange that quickly became hostile. In the recording, the MP is heard using sexually degrading and demeaning language and issuing remarks perceived by the journalist as direct threats. The two party officials are also heard berating Ocansey and questioning his professionalism.
“These words were spoken angrily and forcefully,” Ocansey said. “Since that moment, I do not feel safe. I cannot move freely.”
The journalist says he decided to speak publicly due to growing concern for his security.
“If anything happens to me,” he said, “this was the last serious confrontation I had.”
The incident has revived broader concerns about press freedom and political intimidation at the local level in Ghana. In recent years, journalists — particularly freelancers operating outside major urban centres — have reported increasing harassment linked to investigative and accountability reporting.
The MP has previously attracted public controversy. In an earlier incident, he was widely criticised after making remarks perceived as derogatory towards traditional leaders in the Ada area. The controversy reportedly led to his name being removed from the programme for the Asafotufiami Festival, a prominent traditional event. During a subsequent durbar, local authorities, including the District Chief Executives for Ada East and Ada West, were reported to have publicly appealed on his behalf following tensions with traditional leaders.
While those incidents are unrelated to the current allegations, observers say they have shaped public perceptions of the MP’s confrontational approach to criticism.
Ocansey stressed that his account is not a political petition but a personal record of what he describes as intimidation linked to his professional work.
“As journalists, we must be able to question public officials without fear,” he said. “Public-interest reporting should never result in fear for one’s life.”
At the time of publication, the MP and the party officials named had not publicly responded to the allegations.
