Celebrated Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama is undergoing medical care at a private hospital in Tamale after what he claims was an assault by a police special operations unit referred to as “Black Maria.”

According to Mahama—founder of the Savannah Centre for Contemporary Art, Red Clay Studio, and Nkrumah Voli-ni—the incident unfolded when officers allegedly forced their way onto a bus he was travelling in.

He said the officers demanded access to his phone, forced him to unlock it, and proceeded to erase its contents.

“From the beginning to the end, everything was an assault,” Mahama alleged, describing the police assault ordeal as a serious violation of his rights.

Reacting to the incident, Northern Regional Minister Ali Adolf Mboridiba strongly condemned the alleged actions, emphasising that such conduct would not be tolerated.

He noted that the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) stands firmly against any form of lawlessness and disclosed that the regional police command had no record of a unit known as “Black Maria” operating in the area.

“We cannot tolerate this kind of lawlessness in the region, and anyone found culpable will be dealt with,” Mboridiba stated, adding that Mahama’s diplomatic standing makes the situation even more serious: “an attack on him won’t be tolerated.”

The Ghana Police Service has since initiated investigations, with public attention now focused on uncovering the full details of the incident.