Samuel Amadotor, a blogger with the Dklassgh online media outlet, has been arrested in Ghana for allegedly publishing false information. The arrest on November 20, 2025, followed a complaint by Okatakyie Boakye Danquah Ababio II, Twafohene of Akyem Abuakwa, a lawyer and former Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority, Ghana’s media regulator.
According to a statement issued by the Criminal Investigation Department of the Ghana Police Service, the arrest was supported by the National Signals Bureau. The police say that during interrogation, Amadotor admitted to posting the material and claimed that he had been contracted by another individual, identified as Chairman Michael Yeboah, to publish it. Police say Yeboah is now being sought to assist with ongoing investigations. Amadotor remains in custody and is expected to appear before court on November 21, 2025.
Although characterised by authorities as a case of “false news,” the incident is the latest in a growing pattern of criminal actions against individuals accused of spreading misleading or critical information online. Ghana continues to rely on provisions in Section 208 of the Criminal Offences Act (Act 29) and Section 76 of the Electronic Communications Act (Act 775), which allow criminal prosecution for knowingly publishing or transmitting false information. These laws have come under sustained criticism from press freedom and digital rights advocates for echoing the discredited logic of Ghana’s repealed criminal libel regime.
Section 208 of Act 29 makes it a criminal offence to publish a statement or rumour likely to cause fear or alarm if known to be false. Act 772 similarly imposes criminal liability for sending false or misleading electronic communication. Civil society groups have long argued that these provisions are disproportionately restrictive and vulnerable to political or personal misuse, particularly in cases involving criticism of public office-holders.
Recent prosecutions illustrate the trend. In May 2025, political activist Alfred Ababio Kumi was charged under the same statutes. In August 2024, a blogger received a custodial sentence following trial under similar provisions. These and other cases have intensified national debate about the appropriateness of criminal remedies for digital and journalistic expression in a constitutional democracy that prides itself on media freedom.
While the deliberate spread of harmful misinformation is a legitimate concern, criminal prosecution of speech offences risks chilling civic engagement, discouraging scrutiny of powerful interests and opening the door to arbitrary enforcement. Media and free expression advocates argue that defamation and reputational injury are more appropriately addressed through civil legal remedies, which uphold accountability without suppressing speech or threatening liberty.
At the time of writing, all efforts to reach Samuel Amodotor have been unsuccessful and the offending publication appears to have been scrubbed from the blog. As proceedings move forward, the case is likely to return public attention to the broader legal framework regulating online communication in Ghana and the unresolved tension between addressing misinformation and safeguarding constitutional guarantees of free speech.
The Media Foundation for West Africa calls on authorities to ensure that Amadotor’s due process rights are fully protected, and urges the government to accelerate ongoing efforts to reform or repeal criminal speech provisions that are inconsistent with democratic standards. In the context of the current policy review of false-information regulation, MFWA further encourages the Ministry of Communications, Digitalisation and Innovation to adopt reforms that reinforce civil, rather than criminal, pathways for resolving speech-related disputes and prevent disproportionate restrictions on independent voices.
