Investigations into the alleged attack on well-known visual artist Ibrahim Mahama have been moved by the Ghana Police Service to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters.
The Inspector-General of Police, members of the Police Management Board, and Mr. Mahama met on March 26, 2026, to make the decision.
According to reports, Mr. Mahama was returning from Eid-ul-Fitr prayers at a mosque in Tamale when the incident happened on March 21, 2026. What was described as a routine check allegedly turned into a conflict when his car was pulled over close to the Mariam Hotel intersection.
According to Mr. Mahama, members of the IGP’s Special Operations Team, also known as the Black Maria, broke into his bus, made him unlock his phone, erased whatever video he had shot, and then attacked him.
He was treated at a private medical institution in Tamale after reporting symptoms such as a fractured tooth, cut lips, rib pain, and frequent migraines.
During a news conference on March 23, 2026, Mr. Mahama stated that the incident had interfered with his plans, causing him to postpone lectures at the Royal College of Art, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Oxford in addition to scheduled travel to Helsinki, Amsterdam, and South Africa.
He stated that he will sue the offending officers.
However, the police have refuted his story.
Deputy Superintendent of Police Bawah Abdul Jalil said in a statement that the incident was a traffic enforcement operation that got out of hand because a car blocked a busy road and disobeyed police orders.
Within the police, there have also been conflicting reports.
According to the Northern Regional Police Command, the Black Maria squad could not have been involved because it had been removed from the area on March 5, 2026.
DSP Jalil insisted in a different statement that the unit was there when the event occurred on March 21.
The IGP met Mr. Mahama and heard his story, according to Assistant Commissioner of Police Grace Ansah-Akrofi, Director of Public Affairs for the Ghana Police Service.
She stated that the Director-General of the Police Professional Standards Bureau had been instructed by the IGP to speed a separate investigation into the behaviour of the officers involved, and that the CID Headquarters had been instructed to take over the criminal investigation from the Regional Command.
“Any persons found culpable will be taken through the due process of the law,” ACP Ansah-Akrofi stated.
Prior to the meeting, she said, the Regional Command had visited the area, met Mr. Mahama at his home, and obtained testimonies from him and his staff.
The police have urged the public to maintain composure and promised Mr. Mahama a thorough investigation.
Mr. Mahama is the first African artist to reach the top spot on the ArtReview Power 100 list in 2025. He founded the Tamale-based Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, Red Clay Studio, and Nkrumah Voli-ni.
Source: newsthemegh.com