Why Tiktokers dey fall victim as Ghana dey pursue 'offensive and abusive content' online

'Tiktok no dey safe again', one user post on top social media afta one Ghana court jail tiktoker Camila Alhassan.

Di 43-year-old chop one year imprisonment wit hard labour afta she plead guilty to "offensive and abusive content" for her tiktok page.

Camila Alhassan use her platform to threaten di kontri president John Mahama, di first lady Lordina Mahama and oda govment officials.

She also bin call di president rapist and paedophile among oda tins inside many videos online as part of her attack on di govment.

Prosecutors say she fail to provide evidence to anoda tori when she tok say di president bin sacrifice 32 cows to win di 2024 elections, wey di 29 June floods wey kill more than 40 pipo, na di price di president bin pay for im ritual sacrifice ahead of di vote.

Bifor dem jail Camila on 16 July 2026, dem jail one oda Tiktoker for 2025.

Kwodwo Prah Afful wey get ova 13,000 followers for Tiktok chop seven-month imprisonment afta im plead guilty to charge of "threatening death and offensive conduct".

Police say Kwodwo on top one Tiktok live session, "make death threats against civil servants and govment officials wey im incite violence".

For August 2025, di police bin arrest oda creators Prince Ofori Fante Comedy and Yayra Abiwu aka Akosua Jollof afta dem use dia platforms to mock di victims wey die for helicopter crash for di kontri.

Di two also allegedly tok say dem wish say di President John Mahama and oda govment officials die for dat plan crash.

For 13 August 2025, di court bin grant Fante Comedy GHc100,000 bail wit three sureties.

Police say dem dey prosecute more Tiktokers wey kontinu to break di law

Di police for dia statement afta di court jail Camila Alhasaan on 16 July, 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.

Di Inspector General of Police bin set up special Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team (CVET) to target, monitor and pursue digital crime, threat to national security and spread of dangerous online misinformation.

Dem also dey responsible to stop impersonation of public officials, online incitement and threats as well as enforce di kontris cyber law.

Since di police set up dis team, dem don arrest many cyber criminals and oda pipo wey dey use social media to threaten di peace of di kontri and cause fear and panic.

Content creator Ebo Noah wey predict say God go destroy di world wit flood for December 2025 bin chop arrest, wey im dey face charges of publication of false news.

Dem grant am Ghc 100,000 bail wey im still dey go court for hearing of di mata.

Police don arrest 49-year-old Rita Konadu for di Ashanti Region ova alleged offensive remarks against di president.

Bifor her arrest, di law enforcement agency also gbab 26-year-old tiktoker Mahama Aminat aka 'Bawumia Ba' ova offensive conduct also sake of tins she tok about di president and oda govment pipo online.

Police also arrest 39-year-old Prince Aboagye afta im also make false statement and offensive tins about di ex-Vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Di court don grant am bail of GHc200,000 wit three sureties wey im gatz reappear on 19 August.

No be everybodi dey happy say dem dey jail Tiktokers and content creators

Civil society group IMANI Africa boss Franklin Cudjoe say make di president pardon Camila Alhassan wey di court don jail.

Oga Cudjoe say di prosecution of di tiktoker no dey necessary.

"Wey prosecutor pursue dis woman like dat? Di Attorney General dey aware of dis prosecution? I go dey shy to entertain dis comedy for court serf, if I be di judge."

Im add say di president gatz reject dis prosecution.

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".

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".

Wetin be di position of di law?

Ghana police usually rely for di Criminal Offences Act 1960 (Act29) to prosecute pipo.

Dis act say to use threatening, abusive, or insulting words for public wit di intention to provoke breach of peace, na misdemeanour.

Di police say dem go soon arraign more pipo bifor di High Court for 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.

One private legal practitioner Denis Pwaberi Wedam tok BBC News Pidgin say even though di kontris laws dey guarantee free expression, e neva mean say pipo fit do anytin anyhow.

"Free expression or free speech no be licence for Tiktokers/content creators/broadcasters or even private citizens wey dey tok for public places, to tok anytin and get away wit am."

Lawyer Wedam explain say "di same law wey allow freedom of expression, be di same law wey also put tins in place to protect individual rights and di collective good of society by way of civil remedies and sometimes criminal sanctions."

For criminal sanctions especially, we get

conduct conducive to di breach of peace and

publication of false news.

According to lawyer Denis Wedam, conduct conducive to di breach of peace dey mean say anytin pesin go tok, no for dey abusive or get di potential to breach di peace of di kontri.

For di publication of false news part of di law, "e dey place responsibility on any pesin wey dey publish tins anywia, to always check and double-check so say you no go tok say you no sabi am; to tok say you neva sabi sometin no be excuse in law."

"Di only defence for di mata of false news publication, be if you don do your checks, wey you take reasonable steps to check di truth of di tin you post; dat be di only way di law fit excuse you," di lawyer tok BBC News Pidgin.

Some content creators want make dia colleagues to do di right tin online

One popular creator and influencer Quecy Official wey get ova 1.2 million followers for tiktok and combined 300k followers on top Instagram and facebook, say pipo fit do dia content without "vulgar and insulting language."

Im tok BBC News Pidgin say "I get problem wit di way pipo don normalize politics of insults for social media; pipo dey overdo wey dem dey comot di political space dey begin to attack pipo personally."

"If creators and oda pipo dey tok horrible tins about pipo, wey dem drag you bifor court, you no fit answer, na so you go face di law. E dey pain me as I see Camila Alhassan go thru di court process wey dem jail her, oda pipo too go thru dis prosecution," Quecy Official tok.

Di content creator and influencer add say "you fit do your political content without insult bifor pipo go recognize you as important pesin for di political party you dey support."

"Those of us on top social media; we gatz do beta," Quecy Official tok BBC News Pidgin.

For some oda Tiktokers and content creators, di latest arrests and prosecution be lesson for dem to stay "within di law."

"Now I dey careful when I dey create di content, so say e no go dey offensive or abusive or even become threat to anybodi," one Tiktoker add.

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 on top 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 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".

Stakeholders dey discuss provisions for di law, bifor dem go carry go parliament.