Bobby Banson, a legal practitioner, said some Ghanaians deliberately spread falsehoods online knowing they’ll face no punishment.
The lawyer criticised what he describes as an increasing trend of people deliberately spreading false information on social media.
He argued that the absence of criminal punishment in some cases appears to embolden individuals to make claims that can damage the reputation of others.
Bobby Banson highlighted that freedom of expression should not be interpreted as a licence to deliberately denigrate people who occupy public office.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on September 26, 2026, Bobby Banson stated, “Between 2000 and 2026, people are becoming more intentional about saying things that they know are false that affect the social fibre… so people do these things for whatever they want, knowing that there is no criminal punishment”.
“So, you cannot say freedom of speech allows you to denigrate people who hold public offices,” he indicated.
His comment follows President John Dramani Mahama’s saying that he believes Ghana needs a broader conversation on how TikTok and other new media platforms should be regulated.
According to John Mahama, as a leader, he does not mind being insulted or vilified as he has crocodile skin.
He disclosed that the government could simply instruct the police not to arrest people over anything they say, but questioned whether that would reflect the position Ghanaians wanted to adopt.
Speaking at a town hall meeting with the Ghanaian community in New York on Friday, September 25, President Mahama stated, “There is a new term that I call information integrity. The media has become democratised. Anybody with a mobile phone can disseminate information. There is a new medium called TikTok. And it’s not only Ghana where people are wondering what to do to regulate TikTok. Because in all countries all over the world, we are wondering what to do to make sure that we have information integrity even with TikTok”.
“Anybody who has a phone just puts it in front of him and just says whatever he likes. Once they put it out, it has an algorithm that shares it,” he said.
He added, “As a leader, I don’t mind being insulted. I have been insulted, I was vilified, and I was voted out of office, so for me, this skin is a crocodile skin. So if you insult me, I don’t mind. You insult me, I don’t mind, and indeed, I am doing what I can for my country and my continent. I am doing what I can for Ghana and Africa’.
“Definitely, a lot of these arrests, I don’t even know about them. I also hear about them in the media. Some of them have been tracked and arrested and all that. And sometimes, it worries me, because sometimes the reason for which the person has been arrested, really, they say, is because he insulted me,” he said.
Mahama said the challenge was determining where legitimate freedom of expression ended and conduct that required intervention, saying, “I can tell the IGP, we can go to Cabinet and say, let anybody insult anybody. Let’s leave it free for all. Don’t arrest anybody for anything they say. We can do that. But is that what we want?”
“So, let’s all decide what we want to do. So, that we either find a way of regulating it or we say, when it comes to free expression, anybody can say whatever he wants,” he said.
He further disclosed that the question of regulating new media should not be determined by government alone.
Mahama added, “What we should do is for the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) and the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) to bring all the stakeholders together and hold a workshop or a forum.
“Let’s all collectively take a decision on what we want to do with the new media. Should the police get involved, or shouldn’t they get involved? How do we regulate it? You come out and tell us,” he said.
@ghnow_ Organisers of the Ghana CEO & Industrial Awards have honoured the Director-General of the Ghana Prisons Service, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq.), for her service and contributions to the country. #GHNow #GhanaCEOAwards #fyp ♬ original sound – Scott_lyrics
@ghnow_ A woman reportedly cursed a mate following a disagreement over transport fare amid the recent increase in fares. #GHNow #fyp ♬ original sound – GHnow
