On Saturday evening, Franklin Doloquee, a reporter of FrontPageAfrica assigned in Nimba County, was assaulted by the county’s superintendent Nelson Korquoiwhile attempting to interview him to respond to reports about the filthiness of Gompa streets.
Korquoi seized Doloquee’s two cell phones as he assaulted him in the public. Doloquee confirmed the incident through his Facebook account. He also shared pictures showing bruises and cuts on his face and hand.
Doloquee, who has been reporting for FrontPageAfrica since 2017, alleged that he was targeted while on his “journalistic duty”.
Doloquee said he had gone to do a live FrontPageAfrica Facebook interview with commuters and traders on the ever-busy Gompa main streets amid complaints about the stockpile of the garbage when he saw Korquoi from the opposite side of the streets and rushed to him to address himself to complaints against his administration.
“I was interviewing traders on Gompa main streets about the filthiness of the streets despite paying fees to the city corporation when I saw the superintendent on the other side of the street and I decided to go to him to respond to the accusations brought against him by those I was interviewing,” he said.
“When I reached near them, he grabbed my collar and hit me in the face without any reason as I tried to talk to him.”
After the incident, Doloquee went to a nearby clinic in Ganta where he received first aid treatment. He was then advised to seek further treatment.
The attack on Doloquee triggered an immediate outcry among the local journalists, who pressed the police to take action against the accused superintendent.
Journalists in the county called the assault “unacceptable and disgraceful”, urging the police to take “strict action” against the superintendent.