As questions arise about how self-identified members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) managed to invade UTV and disrupt its entertainment talk show, United Showbiz, some are questioning the media organization's security measures.

However, Yaa Konamah, the morning show host at the channel, has emphasized that the level of security in place should not justify uninvited guests disrupting a show, regardless of their grievances with its content.

Speaking passionately about the invasion, Yaa Konamah listed past events where some media houses were attacked for the same reasons. She also highlighted instances where journalists have been brutalized during event coverage, an act she vehemently criticized as an affront to press freedom and fundamental human rights.

In her narrative, she implied that the thugs managed to evade security by posing as escorts for a guest.

“You outsmart security by following a guest,” she said. “Even if we had ten security personnel, would those thugs not have outnumbered them? The thugs who invaded our premises, were they not more than ten? They were more than ten.”

Yaa Konamah continued: “You keep telling us our security is not robust; we’ve heard you. So, the fact that we’ve opened our doors mean someone should enter and rob us? When you open your door, is it okay for a thief to enter and rob you? Someone rapes a girl and the reason is she dressed provocatively? Is that the justification?”

Background

On Saturday, October 7, a group of young men affiliated with the NPP barged into UTV’s studio during their prime-time entertainment show, ‘United Showbiz’, and disrupted the programme.

The over a dozen thugs having stormed the studio demanded the whereabouts of Kwame Asare Obeng (A Plus) indicating that they were after him for shredding a letter written to the management of UTV asking for a reform of United Showbiz.

"We are waiting for A Plus today... A Plus has to explain to us why he tore our paper from the NPP party. We are here, we are waiting for A Plus. We are protecting our party property," one of the men is heard shouting in the studio.

On the September 30, 2023, edition of United Showbiz, Kwame A Plus described as useless a letter from the NPP calling on management of UTV to reform the United Showbiz show.

The regular panelist read a copy of the letter on the programme and sternly critiqued its content and the propriety of its issuance. He described the letter as "useless" and argued that it was such letters that continued to give the NPP a bad name to the extent that the party is seeking to subvert clear constitutional provisions on the independence of the media.

He ripped apart his copy of the letter stating thus: "This letter is revolting because we have received calls from people threatening to collapse UTV United Showbiz”.

A Plus added that 90% of the viewers of UTV were of the NPP stock… yet they praise them for the views they give on the station.

"NPP people should stop such things, don’t write such a letter ever again. This letter is a stupid letter.

"Nobody in this country can decide what we do on this show, especially when the president of Ghana is an astute lawyer and someone who believes in the rule of law. Don’t write such things ever again," he stressed.

Yaa Konamah expresses her outrage over NPP thugs invading UTV studio#UTVNews pic.twitter.com/3gq2WlrlBV

— UTV Ghana (@utvghana) October 11, 2023