"Kidnapped" Insight reporter resurfaces in Kwesi Pratt’s office

Kwesi Pratt says his boy has been traumatised         Journalist Dauda Mohammed, an employee of The Insight newspaper who was allegedly kidnapped Monday afternoon by unidentified persons has resurfaced and spoken to Joy FM from his boss’ office. Dauda Mohammed together with his colleague journalist Duke Tagoe were allegedly taking photographs of ex-president Rawlings’ house at Adjiringano near East Legon in Accra when they were chased and he was captured by the unknown persons. Dauda, who according to the Managing Editor of The Insight newspaper Mr Kwesi Pratt Jnr., was found traumatized, confirmed to Joy FM that he was indeed abducted, but said his captors did not lay even a finger on him. He said he was taken to an unfamiliar location near East Legon where he “boldly” managed to “escape” after about one hour of intensive questioning. Dauda said his captors, throughout his unfriendly stay with them, repeatedly asked him what he does and who sent him to take pictures of the building. Elucidating on how he escaped, he said when the four persons interrogating him apparently got tired with asking the same questions, they abandoned him at the place that very much looked like an office. He said he managed to come out only to find two cars outside – one yellow pickup and a four wheel Honda in which he was put after his capture - and without any of his captors in sight, he stepped outside the house and escaped to his office. He could not tell the exact place he was sent because “we did a lot of movements before getting to the house”. He said he does not know his captors but would be able to identify them. Early on Mr Kwesi Pratt had told Joy FM’s Evans Mensah that Dauda told him whilst under questioning, the captors kept making calls ostensibly to their superiors on what should be the next line of action before abandoning him. Special Aide to Jerry Rawlings, Kofi Adams, when the story broke, readily dismissed the claim and called it a cooked up story to smear the Rawlingses. He said his boss had no idea about the kidnapping, stressing that the former president and his family had no interest in ‘picking’ up any journalist for whatever reason “let alone a journalist from the Insight newspaper because he is taking any photographs”. Story by Isaac Essel/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana