The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has disclosed that Ghana under the Mahama government has recorded 14 arrests linked to false news and offensive speech in less than 16 months.
MFWA disclosed that the figure is nearly double the number documented during the Akufo-Addo administration.
Following the arrest of 14 for false news in 16 months, a debate has been triggered over whether the Mahama government is simply enforcing long-standing laws in a new digital environment, or restricting public speech.
In a news article by Al Jazeera, read, “The controversy carries added political weight because President John Mahama, while in opposition in 2022, warned that using state power to intimidate dissent was a “dangerous blueprint” for democracy.
A senior ruling party official dismissed allegations that the arrests amount to a crackdown.
“The opposition intentionally sponsors people to insult the President,” he told Al Jazeera. “When the law catches up with them, they cry persecution to score cheap political points.”
He pointed to the case of TikToker Prince Ofori, known as “Fante Comedy”, who was arrested last August over alleged threats to President Mahama.
Days after his arrest, Ofori appeared at a political rally alongside opposition figures, a development the official said showed how quickly such cases become politicised.
“They paraded him at an opposition rally,” he said.
The report also cited that “Opposition leaders see something more troubling taking shape.
Minority leader Alexander Afenyo-Markin has been among the most outspoken critics.
“The state-sponsored persecution must stop,” he told Al Jazeera. “Arresting citizens for words that do not constitute genuine threats is not justice. It is intimidation.”
He said free speech has limits, but argued that the state is increasingly crossing a line.
“Excessive use of state power risks undoing Ghana’s hard-won democratic gains,” he said.
However, “At the centre of the debate are long-standing provisions in Ghana’s Criminal Code and Electronic Communications Act, which authorities say are now being applied to a fast-moving digital landscape.
Government supporters argue the increase in arrests reflects the explosion of anonymous and unregulated online content.
Critics say the problem is not the laws themselves, but how they are being used.
A legal consultant who reviewed recent cases said he counted at least 16 alleged misapplications of Section 208 in the past 18 months, compared with roughly a dozen in the previous eight years.
“The law has been abused beyond repair,” he said. “Repeal is the only remedy.”
The Al Jazeera reports also pointed to the irony at the centre of it all, “Ghana remains one of West Africa’s more open democracies, with a competitive political system and active media landscape.
But the rise in speech-related arrests has sharpened scrutiny of how far the state can go in policing online expression without undermining the democratic culture that helped define its reputation.
The debate is also politically charged because of Mahama’s own past warnings.
As opposition leader, he described the use of state power against dissent as a “dangerous blueprint.” Today, critics say his government faces accusations it once condemned.
For Alexander Afenyo-Markin, the moment calls for restraint — and reflection.
“We should not continue to say that because it happened yesterday, it should happen today and tomorrow. That cycle must end,” he said. “President Mahama has an opportunity to leave a legacy of tolerance and free speech. I hope he takes it.”
See the post below:
In less than 16 months, Ghana has recorded 14 arrests linked to false news and offensive speech, raising concerns about free speech in the country. https://t.co/TMnPlyijqH
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 6, 2026
