NDC Man Held Hostage

Irate prison warders yesterday invaded Otec FM, a Kumasi-based radio station, to teach a National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist, Francis Dodovi, who was on the station’s morning show, a bitter lesson for speaking against the warders’ demonstration on Wednesday.

The officers ambushed Dodovi, a journalist-turned social commentator with sympathies for the ruling NDC, for several hours within the precincts of the station while he also hid for a long time after the show was over.

The visibly-shaken Dodovi was virtually transfixed within the studios as eight angry-looking warders from Manhyia Prisons waited for him to get out of the studio.

Prolonged persuasion by management of the station for the prison officers to leave their premises nearly turned into a free-for-all-brawl between Otec FM and the warders.

This occurred when one prison officer pushed the Acting Manager of the station, Kate Frema Adomako aka ‘Abrewa Nana’ on the floor.

A scene was instantly created at the premises of Otec FM as the rampaging warders still tried to forcibly break into the studios to attack Dodovi.

At this juncture, some NDC sympathizers in Kumasi who had heard about the incident on air went to the premises of the radio station on motorbikes to rescue their party loyalist who was in dire need of assistance.

The NDC goons dared the prison officers to enter the studios and harm Dodovi if they were men enough.

Sensing the extreme danger that imminently stared them in the face following the arrival of the heavily-built NDC foot-soldiers, the security personnel ran for their dear lives.

Narrating what triggered the whole episode to DAILY GUIDE, Richard Karikari, a staff of Otec FM, said Dodovi usually represented the NDC on the station’s morning show.

On yesterday’s programme, he said, the station was discussing the demonstration embarked upon by prison officers in the city and in the course of the show, Dodovi described the act of the prison officers as “baseless and useless.”

Minutes after the NDC representative had passed the remark, about eight prison officers, dressed in uniform with no name tags, appeared at the entrance of the radio station.

The prison warders told the security man on duty, one Mr. Asare that they wanted to enter the studio and deal with Dodovi for insulting them.

Mr. Asare resisted for a while but the warders, who were bent on manhandling Dodovi, finally overpowered the security man and entered to the premises of the station.

Management of the station, led by Abrewa Nana, left their offices and approached the prison officers to persuade them to discard their intention of assaulting Dodovi, but it proved futile as Abrewa Nana was pushed on the ground by the irate prison officers.

The situation became tense and immense pressure started mounting. Dodovi immediately stopped talking on the programme, hiding in a corner of the studio to get out of harm’s way.

Fortunately for the young politician, the NDC goons who had heard the news on air quickly mobilized forces and embarked on an emergency rescue mission for him, compelling the warders to flee from the scene.

A section of the top hierarchy of the Prison Service from the Kumasi Central Prisons and police officers from Asawase later visited the station to ensure orderliness.

Dodovi was later whisked out of the studio into a waiting car belonging to the station, leaving behind his own car at the place because fear.