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The United States government has reportedly assisted Ghana in unlocking an iPhone and a Huawei phone that were used by the late investigative journalist Ahmed Hussein-Suale.
Following the assistance, Ghanaian police investigators have gained access to thousands of images, texts, audios, videos, and WhatsApp messages exchanged or received by Ahmed Suale. These digital materials are currently undergoing analysis as part of the ongoing investigation into his assassination.
Ahmed Hussein-Suale, known for his collaboration with the BBC, was tragically shot dead on January 16, 2019, near his family home in Accra. Authorities in Ghana believe that he was targeted and killed due to his investigative work.
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Anas Aremeyaw Anas, a fellow journalist who first reported the news of Suale’s death, revealed that unidentified individuals on motorbikes ambushed him and fired three shots, two of which struck his chest and one in his neck.
In an update on the murder case of Ahmed Hussein-Suale, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Godfred Yeboah Dame, has indicated that there may be other factors at play in the journalist’s killing, aside from his investigative journalism work.
Minister Dame revealed that no docket suitable for prosecution or further action has been submitted to his office regarding the murder. This suggests that the investigation into Suale’s assassination has not yet yielded sufficient evidence or leads to pursue legal proceedings against any suspects.
Dame stated during a question-and-answer period on the floor of Parliament that in order to access potential clues or evidence that could aid in the arrest of Ahmed Suale’s murders, the AG and the Criminal Investigations Department had to ask for US assistance in unlocking the password of Suale’s iPhone and Huawei phone.
He said that the late Suale’s two mobile phones were sent to the United States for information technology specialists to unlock and retrieve data from. Massive amounts of data, including “millions of documents, videos, audios, texts, and WhatsApp messages have been analysed by a team from the Homicide and Cybercrime Units,” were retrieved from the phones.
Mr. Dame said that a great deal of work had gone into the investigations into the Ahmed Suale case and the others, and that the government would make every effort to apprehend those responsible, no matter how long it took.
He underlined, “Just like in the case of American rapper Tupac Shakur, who was killed in 1996 but whose case was settled a few months ago, justice will undoubtedly be served in the Ahmed Suale case.”
He said that the inquiry was extensive and that it involved using satellite imagery, a drawing of the attackers based on witness descriptions, and telephone calls to the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s Department of Geomatic Engineering.
