Barker-Vormawor urges courts to scrutinise rights violations in ‘Ghana Jollof’ case

Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Constitutional Rights and Policy Strategy Adviser at Democracy Hub, has called for Ghanaian courts to exercise greater scrutiny in protecting constitutional rights in cases involving social media speech. Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Mr Barker-Vormawor highlighted the case of senior nursing officer Salomey Awiti Bafoh, who was arrested at her home and later denied bail for allegedly abetting crime by publishing and circulating false news.

Ms Bafoh pleaded not guilty to the charges, which are based on alleged false news published by UK-based TikTok user Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, known as “Ghana Jollof.” While the prosecution alleges that some of the material contained statements capable of provoking violence, these claims remain unestablished in court. Barker-Vormawor emphasized that the state must clearly demonstrate where the alleged criminality lies and stressed that making allegations of treasonous conduct should not automatically be treated as such.

He also criticized the handling of the case, specifically the police's communication regarding persons being sought and the reliance on mobile money transactions as evidence. The Democracy Hub adviser stressed that the issue is about whether the state is responding to such material within the appropriate legal and constitutional framework and whether similar standards are being applied consistently to controversial speech, regardless of the speaker's political affiliation or the target.