The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on Ghanaian authorities to fulfil their latest pledge to prosecute those responsible for the 2019 murder of investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela.
The press-freedom organisation renewed its demand in a statement posted on Facebook on Tuesday, saying Ghana must act on its commitment to pursue prosecutions against anyone who attacks journalists.
“CPJ calls on Ghanaian authorities to promptly deliver on their latest pledge to pursue the prosecution of anyone who attacks journalists and bring to justice those responsible for the 2019 murder of journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale Divela,” it said.
The appeal followed an assurance given by the Ghanaian government on Saturday night at the 30th GJA Media Awards in Accra. Felix Kwakye Ofosu, the minister responsible for Government Communications, made the pledge on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama.
“Journalists in our country lost their lives in pursuit of accountability, and I refer to the unfortunate killing of Ahmed Suale, whose murder remains unsolved, and the government remains committed to unravelling it,” he said during the ceremony.
The renewed commitment also came after comments by Communications Minister Samuel Nartey George on November 2, at an event marking the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists.
Mr George said political influence and public office should not shield anyone from prosecution. “An announced investigation is not a completed one,” he said.
On the day CPJ issued its latest statement, Speaker Alban Bagbin told Parliament he would not support legislation that silenced journalists. Parliamentary plenary sittings were also moved to 2pm to make the mornings available for committee work.
Suale was an investigative journalist with Tiger Eye PI, where he worked alongside Anas Aremeyaw Anas. He was shot dead inside his vehicle on January 16, 2019, by unidentified attackers travelling on motorbikes.
President Mahama first pledged to speed up investigations into the killing in 2023, while he was in opposition. He renewed that commitment after taking office in 2025.
The only case connected to the killing, which involved Suale’s former Tiger Eye PI colleague, ended in October 2025 when the suspect was discharged following advice from the Attorney-General. The Ghana Journalists Association described the outcome as a grave blot on the country’s democratic record.
CPJ issued a similar appeal on the 2025 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists. The organisation said the latest assurances must now be followed by concrete action. No one has been convicted over Suale’s killing.
