A Ghanaian court has sentenced 43-year-old TikToker Camilla Alhassan to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to publishing false claims that President John Dramani Mahama buried 32 cows as part of a ritual to secure victory in Ghana’s 2024 presidential election.
The Accra Circuit Court convicted Alhassan on charges of offensive conduct and publication of false news over a series of videos she posted on TikTok. In the videos, she alleged, without any evidence, that President Mahama performed ritual sacrifices involving 32 cows to influence the outcome of the election.
She also claimed that the government’s distribution of sanitary pads to flood victims was intended to divert public attention from the alleged ritual. Prosecutors told the court that the allegations were entirely false, defamatory and capable of misleading the public.
The court rejected her plea for a lighter sentence, ruling that a custodial sentence was necessary to discourage the increasing spread of misinformation on social media. However, a separate charge relating to electronic abuse was struck out after the court held that it lacked jurisdiction to hear that offence.
The prosecution further argued that Alhassan deliberately published the false allegations, which gained widespread circulation online and damaged the reputation of the President.
The conviction has reignited debate in Ghana over the balance between freedom of expression and the need to combat misinformation on social media.
Authorities have maintained that while citizens have the right to express their opinions, deliberately spreading false information capable of causing public harm will continue to attract legal consequences.
