The Nima Divisional Police Command has confirmed the arrest of Ghanaian TV host Captain Smart.
According to a news release signed by Juliana Obeng, the Deputy Superintendent of Public Affairs Unit/AR, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, the host of Onua TV/FM morning program in Accra, was detained on Thursday, December 2, 2021, following some unsavory pronouncements that threaten the country’s peace and security.
“He has been cautioned under section 207 of the Criminal Act, 1950 (Act. 29) for offensive behavior conducive to breaches of the peace,” the statement states. “He is now being held by the police and is supporting the investigations.”
Meanwhile, My Joy Online reports that, the National Media Commission (NMC) has described Captain’s Smart’s actions as unprofessional and inciteful.
In a letter to Onua FM and copied to the Ghana Journalists Association and other media stakeholders, the NMC said “we are particularly concerned about a recent broadcast in which “Captain Smart” calls for insurrection against the state of Ghana and its institutions.
This, by all standards, crosses the line of robust and critical broadcasting and transforms your radio station into a megaphone of war.
While that particular broadcast, without more, constitutes adequate grounds for regulatory action, we still retain the belief that given the chance, management could take steps to bring your content unto a level of professional acceptability. We are fortified in this belief by the fact that considerable parts of your other broadcast, including the news, offer that hope,” the NMC stated.
The Commission reminded the management of Onua FM that exercising the required professional caution, “is in your interest.”
