Ghana’s 1992 Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, press freedom, and the right to protest. Yet between 2019 and 2024, a series of high-profile cases raised concerns about how dissent was handled under the New Patriotic Party administration. The cases below were documented by the journalists involved, their media houses, police statements, and civil society groups.

Journalists and Media Workers

1. Caleb Kudah – Citi FM, May 11, 2021.
Kudah was detained outside the Ministry of National Security for filming abandoned state vehicles allegedly purchased at inflated prices. He said operatives slapped, punched, and kicked him, deleted his photos, and later went to Citi FM’s premises to arrest colleague Zoe Abu-Baidoo Addo. The Ministry later admitted the conduct violated its operating standards.

2. Captain Smart – Onua TV/FM.
– December 2, 2021: Arrested by Nima Police for “unsavoury pronouncements regarding the country’s peace and security”.
– October 19, 2022: Picked up by NIB operatives after a broadcast accusing the president of involvement in galamsey. He was interrogated and released on bail the next day.
The GJA condemned the arrest, warning it damaged Ghana’s press freedom ranking.

3. Oheneba Boamah Bennie – Power FM.
Detained in December 2020 over a Facebook video alleging the president met judges to influence the 2020 election petition. On February 8, 2022, an Accra High Court convicted him of contempt and sentenced him to 14 days in prison and a GH¢3,000 fine. He was released on February 21, 2022.

4. Bobbie Ansah – Accra FM
Arrested and detained after publishing a story critical of government.

5. Eric Nana Gyetuah – Connect FM.
Arrested and beaten by police while on assignment.

6. Selorm Gborbidzi – Finder Newspaper.
Reported arrested for filming a scuffle between a police officer and a driver.

7. Nicholas Morkah – Akyemansa FM.
Arrested and beaten by soldiers for filming them.

8. Sacut Amenga-Etego – Freelance Journalist. My very good friend was arrested and beaten for filming suspects in police custody.

Activists, Lawyers, and Public Figures

9. Oliver Barker-Vormawor – Lawyer, #FixTheCountry Convener.
Arrested February 11, 2022 at Kotoka Airport and charged with treason felony over a social media post interpreted as a coup threat in reaction to the E-Levy. After over 2 years of proceedings, the Attorney-General filed a nolle prosequi on March 12, 2025 and he was officially discharged.
He was rearrested in September 2024 during a Democracy Hub #StopGalamsey protest and denied bail on October 7, 2024.

10. Ralph St Williams.
Reportedly arrested for demonstrating against the reported $58M spent on the National Cathedral project.

11. Mensah Thompson – CEO, ASEPA.
Arrested and detained after publishing a story critical of government.

12. Efia Odo – Celebrity/Activist.
Arrested with 14 others during the #FixTheCountry demonstration.

13. Bulldog – Artist Manager.
Arrested and detained over comments reportedly interpreted as a threat to the president.

14. Salamatu Mohammed – Mother of Four.
Arrested after a viral video in which she wished the president dead.

15. Shalimar Abbiusi – Spokesperson, The New Force.
Arrested, detained, and later deported over immigration status after speaking for the political group.

Killings and Election Violence

16. Ahmed Suale – Tiger Eye PI, January 16, 2019.
Shot dead in Madina by two men on a motorbike. He had worked on the #Number12 football exposé with Anas Aremeyaw Anas. In March 2025 police charged Daniel Owusu Koranteng, but the Madina District Court discontinued the case in October 2025 citing insufficient evidence. The case remains unresolved.

17. 2020 General Elections.
8 persons were shot and killed across the country on election day. As of public records, no one has been charged. Critics described some of the operations as politically motivated.

The Question Raised

Those who documented these cases point to a common thread: the targets were journalists, protesters, lawyers, and citizens who criticized policy, spending, or governance. None of the individuals listed above were accused of threatening the president’s life, calling him a pedophile, or alleging ritual practices to win power. Yet the state response in many instances involved arrest, detention, assault, or in Suale’s case, death.

Civil society groups including CPJ, GJA, and MFWA have repeatedly called for independent investigations, an end to the use of security agencies against critics, and accountability for attacks on journalists.