Tontokrom Chiefs, Youth Bare Teeth At Journalists, Petition NMC
Traditional authorities and youth of Tontokrom in the Amansie South District of the Ashanti Region have bared their teeth at journalistls, including Erastus Asare Donkor, petitioning the National Media Commission (NMC) over what they describe as persistent attempts to tarnish the image of their community through his galamsey-related reportage.
The aggrieved residents accused Erastus Asare Donkor, who has established himself as an anti-galamsey crusader, of allegedly portraying Tontokrom as a lawless community where illegal mining activities are carried out openly without regard for environmental laws.
Their action follows a Facebook post by the journalist at the beginning of last week in which he reportedly stated: “Manso Tontokrom is the only town where galamsey has taken seed. Even soldiers are afraid of enforcing environmental laws in that town, galamsey is done glaringly.”
The traditional authorities and youth have taken strong exception to the statement, accusing the journalist of repeatedly attributing incidents that occurred outside Tontokrom, including those in other regions, to their community.
According to them, several of his publications have allegedly linked illegal mining activities and other incidents in different locations to Tontokrom, creating the impression that the community is a haven for illegal miners and a lawless enclave.
Addressing a press conference, the aggrieved youth warned Erastus Asare Donkor to desist from what they described as a negative agenda against the community, threatening to expose him if he continued with the alleged conduct.
The Abusuapanin of Tontokrom, Opanin Kofi Manu, who spoke on behalf of the traditional authorities, called on journalists to conduct thorough investigations and establish the facts surrounding incidents before publishing their stories.
He cautioned that irresponsible journalism and the publication of unverified information could create unnecessary tension and potentially trigger mayhem in the country.
Curse
In a dramatic development after the press conference, a Unit Committee member, Haruna Iddrisu, popularly known as Tontokrom DC, led a section of the aggrieved youth in a traditional ritual against journalists and persons they believed harboured evil intentions towards the community.
The group slaughtered a sheep and a chicken, alongside the use of eggs, in a traditional invocation intended to invoke curses on the journalist and anyone allegedly seeking to destroy the image of Tontokrom.
The youth accused such individuals of using negative publicity about the community to make money at the expense of its reputation.
They insisted that they would not sit unconcerned while the image of Tontokrom was allegedly being dragged into disrepute and called on the media to uphold accuracy, fairness and professionalism in their reportage.
