Who be di female TikToker wey Ghana court jail for 'abusive and offensive content' against President Mahama

One Circuit Court for Ghana don jail female TikToker for one year afta she plead guilty say she bin publish 'abusive and offensive content' against di kontri president and first lady ontop social media.

Di court sentence di 43-year-old Camila Alhassan wit hard labour.

Police say dem bin arrest Camila on 9 July afta dem pursue her and im TikTok videos wia "she bin dey threaten di president and first lady Lordina Mahama, wey she also insult dem".

"Some of di tins she bin tok inside dose videos dey capable to disturb di peace of di kontri."

Inside some of dis videos, Camila tok say di president bin allegedly sacrifice 32 cows to win di 2024 elections, wey im also allegedly rape some women.

For oda videos, di TikToker say di president dey responsible for fire outbreaks and floods wey kill ova 40 pipo on 29 June.

Camilla also threaten say fire outbreak go happun for any committee wey dem go set to consider constitutional amendment wey go change di presidential term limit from four years to five years.

Di police statement wey DSP Richmond Mensah bin sign explain say di court bin postpone her sentence afta she tok say she dey pregnant but afta medical test for di police hospital, dem find say she bin lie about di pregnancy.

Na so di court sentence her on 16 July to one year for prison wit hard labour.

Her lawyer say dem beg di court to get mercy on her and reduce her punishment.

"Di punishment for her offence be three years, but di court say dem gatz use her as example to stop oda pipo from publishing false news wey dey capable to destroy di peace of di kontri. Afta we don appeal to di court, di judge now sentence her to one year," lawyer Kojo Gyamfi Bonsu tok.

Even as she dey begin her jail term, di police say dem dey prepare to put her bifor di High Court for different charge of false communication under di Electronic Communications Act, 2008 (Act 775).

According to section 76 of dis Act, any pesin wey use any electronic communication service to deliberately send false and misleading tori wey dey likely to endanger di life and safety of any pesin, commit offence wey im fit enta jail for up to five years.

Dis law dey apply to pipo wey neva crosscheck di false information wey dem decide to publish am online.

Di police for dia statement warn di public say even though di Ghana constitution dey guarantee freedom of expression, pipo gatz use dat right responsibly within di law.

"Social media no be platform you go use to spread false news, threaten pipo and publish unlawful content; any pesin wey go do dis criminal tins go face di law."

Reactions afta court jail Camila

Many pipo don react to di sentencing, as some say na good tin, odas say na attempt to 'criminalise free speech'.

Oga for di Media Foundation for West Africa Suleman Braimah say even though im dey against publication of false news wey defame, mislead or damage reputation of pipo, im no tink to jail pipo be di solution.

"Our legal system gatz ensure say victims of defamation get access to civil remedies wey include apology, correction and compensation wen influencers and oda pipo intentionally publish false news about dem."

Im also add say "make we no use di attempt to combat lies to jail pipo, wen we fit use oda ways to deal wit tins like dis".

Braiamah ask di president to pardon di 43-year-old Camila, make she become advocate against false and fake news.

Investigative journalists Manasseh Azure Awuni also no gree wit jailing di TikToker.

"I no dey support wetin she tok against di president, wey she also no fit prove am for court mean say dem be false, but dat neva be enough to jail her. Di tins she tok be defamatory but dem no be criminal offence wey dem suppose jail her."

Di popular journalist add say "as we condemn di abuse of di law, we gatz also condemn di stupidity of di actors, dem neva be heroes of free speech".

Dis no be di first time court for di kontri bin dey jail pesin wey publish false news.

For 23 August 2024, di Circuit Court bin jail one blogger for 30 days afta im publish false news about cedi and dollar account holders for di kontri.

Jeffery Nyame bin dey on trial since 2022; prosecutors say di publication cause fear and panic wey lead to panic withdrawals wey make banks suffer.

Wetin Ghana dey do to deal wit false news publication online

For im presidential address on 12 September 2025, Ghana President John Mahama bin warn say im govment go pursue pipo wey use di internet to publish hate speech.

"Di National Signals Bureau now get di technology to track pipo evriwia for di kontri, so if you sit ontop social media to say and write hate speech and oda tins, we go track you."

Di president add say "if we track you, we go deal wit you under di criminal code for inciting violence and disturbing peace".

Govment minister for Digitalisation Samuel Nartey George for 2025 say di kontri dey di process to create law wey go deal wit disinformation and misinformation.

Im tok say di bill na "to protect di kontri digital ecosystem and stop di deliberate spread of false and harmful digital content".

At dat time, di minister tok say "we no dey fight against freedom of expression, but wia your freedom of expression bin dey end, your duty say you no go misinform di public dey begin".

As at February 2026, di ministry for communication and digitalisation bin hold stakeholder meeting to discuss di suggestions pipo send for di draft misinformation and disinformation bill.

Di proposed bill don suffer setbacks as some sabi groups and media advocates raise questions about di possibility say di new law fit criminalise free speech.

Sake of dis concerns, stakeholders still dey engage each oda to find solution to di issues bifor dem go finally pass am for parliament.