Prolific writer and one-time GJA Journalist of the Year, Manasseh Azure Awuni, has rendered an apology to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu for comparing his inability to stem vigilantism to a "castrated pig" in a recent article.
The astute journalist, in a recent article, assessed the performance of the IGP since assuming office under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.
Under the IGP's tenure, there has been series of violent acts by vigilante groups.
A pro-NPP vigilante group, the Invisible Forces, has been terrorizing Ghanaians and in the recent by-election at the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency, the group is reported to have donned security uniforms to wreck chaos in the by-election.
The by-election saw about eighteen people sustaining gunshot wounds after some faceless security personnel fired at them.
These security personnel were identified by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as members of the ruling NPP vigilante group.
In his article, Manasseh Azure compared the weakness of the IGP to clamp down on perpetrators of these violent acts, to a castrated pig.
His description seems to have angered the Police administration who demanded an apology from the decorated journalist.
Police Public Relations Officer, ACP David Eklu, at a press conference held by the hierarchy of the Administration, stated emphatically that Azure's character doesn't reflect the professional standard of journalism in the country.
ACP David Eklu noted that the language used by Azure is "unGhanaian, it is in bad state . . . If you choose to use a language that does not reflect the standard and cultural values in this country, then you are not practising a professional job".
"We take strong exception to the type of language used and we take strong exception to the imagery," he stressed.
Responding to the Police statement, Manasseh Azure in an interview with host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM's Kokrokoo sought to clarify his article saying "for some time now, the IGP has been a political puppet . . . The puppet signifies the IGP is under the control of the political class which the Police have admitted. The second part I said is that when it comes to dealing with political vigilantism, the IGP is as impotent as a castrated pig".
Mr. Azure noted that he didn't mean to sound offensive but if Mr. Asante-Apeatu and the Police Service "take offence of that expression that, in dealing with political vigilantism, the IGP takes offence that I compared his weakness to that of a castrated pig; if they take offence, I duly apologize. I did not call the IGP a useless pig or I did not call the IGP a pig”.
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