By: Hamza Lansah Lolly / Baba Mohammed Issahaq
The National Youth Wing of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has strongly criticised the arrest of two TikTok content creators, Fante Comedy and AY, along with social media activist Sir-Obama Pokuase, describing the move as an unnecessary show of force by the Ghana Police Service.
In a statement signed by the NPP’s National Youth Organiser, Salam Mustapha, the group expressed “shock” at what it called the misuse of police resources to detain young citizens over comments made in a viral video. The Youth Wing acknowledged that the remarks may have been “unsuitable for the moment” but maintained they were opinions protected under the country’s constitutional guarantee of free speech.
“These social media activists have no actionable ability to cause harm nor intend to do so,” the statement read. “Why the intolerance today? Why is the malicious treatment of all persons who identify with the NPP the new practice for the security setup?”
The statement accused the police of exhibiting political bias, alleging that similar or worse comments from opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters have gone unpunished. It also referenced a July 11 incident in which a violent attack on NPP members, including MP Hawa Koomson and Deputy National Organiser Chris Lloyd, allegedly went unaddressed by the police.
The Youth Wing called for the “unconditional and immediate release” of Fante Comedy, AY, and Sir-Obama Pokuase, warning that the arrests undermine Ghana’s democratic values.