The Nima Divisional Police Command has arrested the host of Onua TV/FM morning show in Accra, Blessed Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart.
A statement from the Ghana Police Service said Captain Smart was arrested for making “some unsavoury pronouncements that hinge on peace and security”.
A separate statement from the National Media Commission (NMC) said Captain Smart called for “insurrection against the state of Ghana and its institutions” in a recent broadcast on Accra-based Onua FM.
Captain Smart has been cautioned on the offence of offensive conduct conducive to breaches of the peace as provided under section 2017 of the Criminal Act, 1960 (Act 29), according to a statement from the Ghana Police Service.
The Police said he is in their custody, assisting with the investigations.
Captain Smart was recently employed by Onua TV/FM, after resigning from Angel TV while on suspension regarding how he carried out his work there.
‘You’ve become a megaphone of war’ – NMC cautions Onua FM/TV
The National Media Commission, NMC, is disappointed in what it refers to as unprofessionalism on the part of managers of Onua TV/FM following its broadcast of some unsavoury pronouncements that hinge on peace and security.
The NMC in a statement issued on Thursday, December 2, 2021, said “on the morning show on Onua FM/TV, Captain Smart was heard allegedly inciting the Ghana Armed Forces against Members of Parliament and also calling on them to stage an uprising.”
“Where we have reached, we require an uprising with positive defiance. I am even shocked at Ghana’s soldiers. You can enter Parliament when MPs are being sworn in, but when MPs are fooling, you can’t enter Parliament. Everybody is quiet in this country,” he chanted.
The Commission said the media house “crossed the line of robust and critical broadcasting.”
It said the radio station by its action has transformed into a “megaphone of war”.
“Part of your broadcast raises concern for the peace and security of the country in a manner that demands immediate regulatory action. We are particularly concerned about a recent broadcast in which ‘Captain Smart’ calls for insurrection against the state of Ghana and its institutions.”
“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. We will be glad if you noted that exercising the required professional caution is in your interest,” it added.
