Tamale: The Northern Regional Police Command has initiated an investigation into a reported assault on visual artist, Mr. Ibrahim Mahama, by unidentified security officers in Tamale.
According to Ghana News Agency, the Northern Regional Public Affairs Officer, Chief Inspector Luckman Niedow Alhassan, issued a release on Monday denying media claims that the Special Operations Team, known as The Black Maria, was involved in the incident.
The release clarified that the Special Operations Team had been withdrawn from the Northern Region by the Inspector-General of Police on Thursday, March 5, 2026, several weeks prior to the reported assault. The circumstances surrounding the assault remain unclear, but Mr. Mahama, an international artist and founder of the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art (SCCA), the 'Red Clay Studio,' and Nkrumah Voli-ni in Tamale, reported to the media that armed officers had broken into his vehicle.
Mr. Mahama further alleged that he was coerced into unlocking his phone, after which certain images were deleted. The police statement assured the public that updates on the ongoing investigation would be provided in due course.