‘I’m too young to be a widow’ - Investigative journalist reveals how his wife wept, begged him to quit

Investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has revealed the emotional toll his work has taken on his family, with his wife once pleading with him to quit journalism due to the constant threats they face.

In an interview on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Manasseh Azure Awuni shared how the intensity of the threats escalated after his investigative reports exposed powerful individuals.

The situation became so dire that his wife broke down in tears, expressing her fear of losing him.

"There was a day my wife was weeping and saying, 'I am too young to be a widow.' No matter how strong you are, it will hit you," Awuni recounted.

The journalist also disclosed that the threats extended beyond his immediate family, with even his father receiving warnings about the dangers Awuni's work posed.

His family, concerned for his safety, urged him to leave journalism after his first major investigations.

"My family wanted me to quit journalism after the very first investigations. Somebody told my father, 'Your son, the kind of people he is going after, people know him,'" Awuni said.

Despite these pressures, Awuni said he soldiered on, though he admits there have been moments of doubt.

He questioned whether the risks were worth it but his sense of duty to expose wrongdoing spurred him to do more.

"I also have this feeling that if we all say we are afraid, and we don’t do anything about our predicaments when the reality hits all of us, we will be endangered," Awuni expressed.