The management of Gumah FM in Bawku in the Upper East Region has described the decision by the Ministry of Communication to shut down their operations as politically motivated and called on the ministry to provide evidence of any wrongdoing.
The station in their Facebook post on Wednesday 19th February 2025 said they were not involved in any action that incited violence or destabilizes the area as claimed by the ministry as a reason to shut them down
“We want to indicate that Gumah FM does not incite violence, and we will seek legal advice to ensure that the Ministry of Communication provides us with evidence of our involvement in inciting violence in Bawku,” the post said
The station denied being served officially by the National Communications Authority (NCA) but had decided to go off air after learning about the ministry’s directive.
Gumah FM suggested the shutdown was an attempt to silence discussions about the Bawku chieftaincy dispute and general security issues in the area, alleging that other media houses are also culprits of the matter
“If it’s discussions on the chieftaincy dispute and the general security situation in Bawku, and subsequently the events in Walewale, that the ministry describes as inciting violence, we also have in our possession discussions from other radio stations in Bawku on the same issues, which we believe tend to incite violence,” the station’s management said.
They called on the ministry to reconsider its decision and allow it to resume operations.
Earlier, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations under the auspices of Samuel Nartey George called for the immediate shutdown of the station citing issues of national security issues.
