The arrest and detention of a social media activist associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mohammed Amadou Zakou, following a Facebook post containing controversial remarks about Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, has sparked significant backlash.
The NPP has strongly criticised the move, accusing the administration of President John Dramani Mahama of attempting to suppress dissent and undermine freedom of expression through intimidation and criminalisation.
However, the NPP’s concerns have also drawn criticism, as some Ghanaians have pointed to similar instances of arrests and detentions of individuals during the previous administration led by former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
Several individuals were arrested under the previous administration for making comments and social media posts critical of the government and its leadership.
Furthermore, the NPP’s outcry over Zakou’s arrest and detention, following his post about the Vice President, which included the phrase “rest well” accompanied by crying and sad emojis suggesting her demise, has ignited discussions around perceived double standards and political hypocrisy in Ghana’s political landscape.
Here are some Ghanaians who were arrested for statements they made:
ASEPA’s Mensah Thompson
Mensah Thompson, Executive Director of the Alliance for Social Equity and Public Accountability (ASEPA), was arrested by the Ghana Police Service for alleging that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his relatives had used the presidential aircraft of the Ghana Armed Forces for a shopping trip to the United Kingdom in December 2021.
On January 7, 2022, Thompson posted an allegation on his Facebook page, the first two paragraphs of which read:
“So between the 20th and 30th of December, 2021… during the Christmas, the children of a close relative of the President took Ghana’s Presidential Jet, the Falcon EX jet, on a trip to the UK just for Christmas shopping.
“They didn’t go alone; they went with their friends and partied in the sky all through the trip, taking snap videos and flaunting their lucky adventure.”
Thompson later retracted his claims and rendered an unqualified apology for spreading false information, after the Ghana Armed Forces debunked the story and asked the public to disregard it.
Despite the apology, he was arrested and charged with the publication of false news and offensive conduct conducive to the breach of peace. He was later granted bail of GH¢50,000.
Accra FM’s Bobie Ansah
Kwabena Bobie Ansah, host of the Citizen Show on Accra FM, was arrested on Thursday, February 11, 2022, and detained at the Nima Police Station.
According to a brief statement by the Ghana Police Service on Friday, January 11, 2022, his arrest was in connection with an “alleged case of publication of false news and offensive conduct.”
The police indicated that Bobie Ansah had turned down several invitations to assist with investigations.
His arrest reportedly followed allegations he made on live radio against First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo, accusing her of appropriating state lands for her private foundation.
“Do you know that Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Samira have appropriated for themselves the aviation lands?” he asked during the programme.
“As I speak to you today, there are Chinese nationals working on the aviation lands that were acquired by Kwame Nkrumah for the state… Rebecca Akufo-Addo has had the guts to apportion the state land to herself and is putting up a project in the name of her foundation – an NGO,” he alleged.
Media General’s Captain Smart
Broadcast journalist Godsbrain Smart, popularly known as Captain Smart, was arrested twice in 2022. One of the arrests was linked to statements he made against President Nana Akufo-Addo and his administration.
On Wednesday, October 19, 2022, he was arrested by officials of the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) on his way home from work.
Prior to his arrest, the Ministry of Information had accused Captain Smart of impugning the character of the president during a broadcast aired on October 17, 2022, where he alleged that President Akufo-Addo was actively involved in illegal mining (galamsey).
The Ministry described his claims as false and malicious, and further accused him of engaging in unethical and irresponsible journalism.
After his release, Captain Smart confirmed that the arrest was indeed linked to his allegations against the president.
Salamatu Mohammed – Mother of four
On Wednesday, November 16, 2022, Salamatu Mohammed, a mother of four, was arrested for wishing death upon President Nana Akufo-Addo in a viral video.
In the video, which was widely circulated on social media, Salamatu criticised the president over Ghana’s economic hardship and questioned why witches and ritualists from the northern regions had not yet killed him.
“Akufo-Addo, we are begging you in the name of God. We cannot even afford pots to cook our food. Do you want us to use your head to cook?
“The price of an aluminium cooking pot has increased from GH¢600 to GH¢1,200. Why?
“God will punish you. The witches in Ghana and the ritualists from the north—can’t you kill this man? I have four children. Do you know the feeding fees I pay?”
According to her lawyer, Gideon Koku Abotsi, Salamatu was arrested due to the viral video but was later released without being charged. The police said they were investigating the matter further.
Oheneba Boamah Bennie
Oheneba Boamah Bennie, a journalist with Accra-based Power FM, was sentenced in 2022 by the Accra High Court to 14 days in Nsawam Prison after being found guilty of contempt of court.
He was arrested for alleging in a Facebook video that President Nana Akufo-Addo had met with eight Supreme Court judges to influence their decision in the 2020 presidential election petition filed by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
On December 14, 2021, the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service arrested him in Accra. He was being investigated for allegedly insulting and issuing threats against the president in the video.
In addition to the prison sentence, Oheneba was fined GH¢3,000.
MAG/MA
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