The family of senior nursing officer Salomey Awiti Baffoe has appealed to the government to facilitate her release, saying her children are struggling with her continued detention.
The 40-year-old is expected to remain in custody for at least five more days after her case was adjourned to October 5 because the presiding magistrate is attending a judges and magistrates conference.
Salomey Baffoe has pleaded not guilty to a charge of abetting the alleged publication of false news on social media.
Her continued detention follows the High Court’s refusal to grant her bail last Thursday after prosecutors argued that she was still needed for investigations and could interfere with witnesses.
The family says the situation has left them distressed, particularly because her children have been asking for their mother.
“We need Salomey to be at home because her children are crying woefully to see their mother. So we need people’s help to come in to plead on our behalf to release her.
“We can’t sleep. We can’t eat. We can’t drink because of this matter. We are very desperate that we can’t even describe it now.”
The family is therefore appealing to President John Dramani Mahama and his wife to intervene. “So we are begging the government, Mr. Mahama and his wife, to release our daughter for us. We need Salome to be at home because her children are crying woefully to see their mother.”
Meanwhile, her lead counsel, Nana Adjei Baffour, has argued that the prosecution has not provided sufficient grounds to justify continued detention, stressing her presumption of innocence and describing the charge as a misdemeanor.
Ms Baffoe, a mother of three, is facing a charge of abetting the publication of false news. The prosecution alleges that she assisted Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, identified by investigators as the operator of the Ghana Jollof TikTok account, to disseminate videos and recruit others to redistribute the content. Investigators have also alleged that financial transactions were uncovered between the two women.
The defence has argued that Ms Baffoe should be granted bail, pointing to her constitutional presumption of innocence and her responsibilities as a mother. Her lawyer, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, said one of her children is due to begin Senior High School and that her continued detention was affecting the child’s education.
The case has generated growing concern over the impact of Ms Baffoe’s detention on her family, particularly her three children, following the court’s decision to keep her in custody while investigations continue.
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