On July 10, 2026, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service arrested 43-year-old social media influencer, Camilla Alhassan, over claims she made on TikTok about Ghana's president.
In a series of videos posted on TikTok, between June 30 and July 5, 2026, Alhassan claimed President John Dramani Mahama had sacrificed 32 cows to secure political power, and alleged that the government's initiative to distribute sanitary pads to victims of the June 29 flood was intended to conceal these alleged sacrifices.
In another video posted on July 7, Alhassan said she had received a call from police headquarters inviting her to the CID over the claims, adding that her brother would accompany her. The following day, however, she posted another video saying she had not honoured the invitation because she could not go alone.
Alhassan was arrested by the police on July 10, 2026, and brought before the Accra Circuit Court 1 the same day and charged with Offensive Conduct and False News under Sections 207 and 208 of Ghana's Criminal Offences Act, 1960. She pleaded guilty to all charges and was remanded in custody pending sentencing, scheduled for July 16, 2026.
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Alhassan's arrest adds to a growing list of social media influencers detained under these same provisions since the start of the year. Though legal, the provisions have been widely condemned by the MFWA and other civil society organisations as disproportionate tools for addressing speech-related offences.
On May 26, 2026, TikTok content creator Mahama Aminat was arrested over alleged threats directed at President John Mahama and the First Lady, Lordina Mahama.
On April 7, 2026, Ghanaian pastor William Gyimah was arrested and remanded after being charged with making death threats against Vice President Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang in a video that went viral on TikTok.
Isaac Boafo, a 45-year-old content creator known online as "Duabo King," was arrested on March 1, 2026, by officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate at the Ashanti Regional Police Command, following a viral TikTok video in which he allegedly made false claims about police officers stationed at the Kumasi Central Command Police Station.
While reiterating our support for freedom of expression and for civil rather than criminal remedies in speech-related disputes, the MFWA strongly condemns disinformation and hate speech, and urges social media users, particularly content creators and social media influencers, to exercise responsibility and refrain from hostile, disinformation or dangerous speech.
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