Inside Story: How Baffour Gyan led thugs against Graphic reporter

Mr Kenu’s question at the Miklin Hotel was premised on an incident  at the Baba Yara Stadium during one of the Black Stars training sessions ahead of the Ghana-Uganda 2015 AFCON qualifier. A group of youngmen emerged from nowhere and asked Gyan to produce the body of Castro,  the hiplife artiste, an age-long friend of the Stars skipper. They alleged that Gyan had used him for rituals.

At the press conference, Mr Kenu, a seasoned journalist with more than two decades of practice, urged Gyan, whom he had covered since his Academical days, to seize the opportunity  to tell Ghanaains his side of the story to put a closure to the matter.

But the question rather infuriated the Al Ain player and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) officials present who thought the timing was not right, particularly at a time the  Stars were engaged in preparations towards a crucial AFCON 2015 qualifier against Uganda last Saturday.

Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, the president of the GFA, quickly intervened and told the player not to answer the question, insisting that the question bordered on the metaphysical and unfounded allegations.

In the unfolding drama,  Gyan attempted to confront the journalist but he was restrained.

Mr Kenu, took advantage of  friendly discussions with Mr Nyantakyi, Coach Kwasi Appiah and his assistant, Maxwell Konadu, after the press conference to plan his escape from the venue of the press conference as some angry thugs planned to attack him when the programme was over.

In the process, his reading glasses fell and he lost  his wallet.

But that was not to be the end of the drama when a day before the 1-1 drawn match against Uganda, Baffour Gyan, together with  Samuel Anim Addo, an errand boy of the Black Stars skipper, led machomen to brutally assault  Mr. Kenu.

It was Addo who started it all as he exchanged pleasantries with the journalist at the entrance to the VVIP Lounge, on his way to secure his accreditation for the match.

Before he could reciprocate the gesture, Baffour butted in Ga,  literally translated ‘paddy, what sort of stupid question did you ask my brother,’ and before Mr Kenu  could respond, he followed with a hefty slap.

It was a hellish moment for Mr. Kenu as Baffour and his machomen launched series of hefty punches on him, while  Addo pretended as a peacemaker restraining Mr. Kenu’s assailants.

But for the intervention of  one Stephen Asante, a reporter at the Ghana News Agency, who prevented the thugs from smashing Mr Kenu’s Sumsung tablet on the ground and causing further harms to his body, a fatal incident would have been recorded.

Since last Friday’s attack. Mr Kenu had been in so much pain, particularly in the head. He drove in the company of Asante to the regional police commander, Kofi Boakye, at the Ashanti regional police headquarters. He was directed to write his statement and subsequently given a police medical form to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for treatment.

The police commander quickly declared Baffour and his men wanted and detailed his men to hunt for them. Baffour and Addo were arrested and put behind bars until last Saturday evening when they were granted police inquiry bail and were expected to report to the police to assist in investigations in being arraigned before court.