New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has criticised the arrest and two-week remand of Senior Nursing Officer Salomey Awity Baffoe, who is facing allegations linked to the publication and circulation of false news on social media.
Dr Bawumia said the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the Techiman-based nurse and mother of three raise concerns about the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms.
In a post on social media on Friday, September 18, he questioned the decision to arrest Ms Baffoe during a late-night operation and subsequently keep her in custody for two weeks.
“This is not the Ghana we want to build. I can assure Ghanaians that when given the opportunity, our intelligence agencies will not be reduced to chasing citizens for insulting the President or anyone else,” he stated.
Ms Baffoe has been accused of aiding and abetting the publication and circulation of false news involving the anonymous TikTok account known as “Ghana Jollof.” According to the police case, she allegedly acted as a liaison for Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, who has been identified by authorities as the person behind the account.
The Ghana Police Service has declared Ms Kodua wanted in connection with an alleged case of inciting violence and says she may currently be in the United Kingdom.
Dr Bawumia said his criticism of the case should not be interpreted as support for insults in political discourse. He maintained that political actors and citizens should engage one another respectfully.
“I have always disavowed a politics of insults and will remind all in the political space of the need to be decorous. The ideas we need to transform our nation won’t come from insults,” he said.
However, he argued that efforts to address offensive speech should not undermine the right to free expression.
“But I also remind the NDC government that any infringement on the right to free speech pushes our democracy backwards. Free speech, as unpalatable as it may be sometimes, is the foundation of our democracy,” he added.
The NPP flagbearer also questioned what he described as the selective application of the law, arguing that citizens accused of similar conduct should be treated equally irrespective of the political status of the person targeted.
“Even more worrying is the government’s continuous selective applications of our laws. Some citizens can insult and walk freely and others are jailed because the government doesn’t like the target of their insults,” he stated.
Ms Baffoe has pleaded not guilty to the charge of abetment of crime. The Adentan Circuit Court denied her bail after prosecutors cited ongoing investigations and national security concerns, and she is expected to reappear before the court on September 30, 2026.
