Barbara Asantewaa Kodua a.k.a Ghana Jollof
The Ghana Police Service has declared Barbara Asantewaa Kodua wanted for being behind the ‘Ghana Jollof’ account on TikTok used to hurl vile insults at government officials.
A poster shared on the social media pages of the Service pointed out that the suspect is currently “hiding” in the United Kingdom and was last seen on August 4, 2022 at the Accra International Airport.
The woman, said to be 40 years old, is fair in complexion and is wanted for allegedly inciting violence through her social media videos.
“Anyone with information about the suspect, should kindly contact the nearest police station or call 0500100010,” the poster added.
Remand
In a related development, a Senior Nurse, Salomey Awiti Bafoh, has been remanded into custody for two weeks for allegedly aiding Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, a TikToker operating under the name ‘Ghana Jollof’, to publish and circulate false news on social media.
The Senior Nurse, who was reportedly arrested in the middle of the night in Techiman on September 12, and kept in custody for about five days, is accused of “serving as liaison for the said Barbara Asantewaa Kodua.”
She has been charged with one count of abetment of crime – publication of false news for her alleged role in the circulation of Ghana Jollof’s videos which many consider to be vile, further raising concerns about insults gaining their way into Ghanaian politics.
Although Barbara Asantewaa Kodua appears on the prosecution’s charge sheet as the second accused person, no specific charges were levelled against her.
The police, however, indicated in its summary of facts that she used her social media platform to produce and publish videos containing offensive and inciting statements with the potential to provoke violence.
They further accused her of threatening to “overthrow the Government of Ghana”, adding that Ghana Jollof said “she will burn Ghana amongst other things.”
Prosecution’s Facts
The brief facts presented to the Adenta Circuit Court ‘1’ indicate that investigations led to the identification of Salomey Awiti Bafoh as a collaborator of Barbara Asantewaa Kodua.
Court document says investigations “established” that Bafoh assisted Kodua in the dissemination of the videos produced by Ghana Jollof, by recruiting other persons to redistribute and circulate the material through various social media platforms.
“Investigations further revealed financial arrangement between the two accused persons whereby the 2nd accused (Ghana Jollof), while domiciled in the United Kingdom, remitted monies to the 1st accused (Bafoh) in Ghana in support of these activities,” the document alleges.
It adds that Bafoh subsequently distributed portions of those funds to other persons involved in the redistribution and recirculation of videos produced by Ghana Jollof through various social media platforms.
The document further noted that investigations are ongoing to identify and locate other persons who participated in the redistribution of the videos.
Condemnation
The arrest of Salomey Awiti Bafoh has attracted condemnation from some sections of the public, particularly from some members of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Speaking to the media after her arraignment, her lawyer, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, questioned the basis for her arrest and continued detention, particularly when the police admit that the main suspect behind the Ghana Jollof account is living in the United Kingdom.
“Because you want to arrest Ghana Jollof, you have remanded her for two weeks. Meanwhile, you told the court that Ghana Jollof is in the UK,” the lawyer, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, said.
Meanwhile, the Advisor on Gender and Social Protection to Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Akosua Manu, has raised concerns over what she describes as the arrest and detention of innocent women, in an attempt to identify the person behind the Ghana Jollof account on social media.
“What is being reported cannot simply be normalised as ‘arrests.’ When individuals reportedly arrive at a woman’s home around midnight, identify themselves as security operatives, take her away, and her family is subsequently unable to establish with certainty which state institution is holding her or where she has been taken, we are confronting something far more troubling. This bears the disturbing hallmarks of an abduction and demands an immediate and credible explanation from the state,” she said in a statement.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak