The legal battle surrounding the viral "Ghana Jollof" TikTok account intensified on Thursday as the Accra High Court formally denied bail to Salomey Awiti Baffoe. The 40-year-old senior nursing officer from Techiman was remanded back into custody after the presiding judge sided with state prosecutors, citing significant risks to the ongoing criminal investigation.
Baffoe is currently facing charges of abetment of crime, specifically concerning the publication and circulation of false news on social media. Prosecutors allege she actively aided the principal operator of the "Ghana Jollof" account, identified by authorities as Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, in disseminating defamatory and inflammatory content. Kodua currently remains at large, with police utilizing Baffoe's detention to assist in tracking down her whereabouts.
During the hearing, Assistant State Attorney Carl Afedzi Forson strongly opposed the bail application. He argued that due to the complex, cyber-centric nature of the case, releasing Baffoe at this critical stage would create a very real risk of her tampering with digital evidence or influencing potential witnesses before the police conclude their forensic data extraction.
Lead defense counsel Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South and the target of an attempted arrest by alleged EOCO operatives earlier this week, fiercely contested the state's position. He argued that his client is constitutionally presumed innocent and that the charge of publishing false news is merely a misdemeanor. Baffour Awuah criticized the prosecution for relying on generalized fears rather than providing concrete proof that Baffoe would obstruct justice.
The defense further pleaded for compassion, highlighting Baffoe's family circumstances as a mother of underage children. They noted that her continued detention was severely disrupting her child's imminent Senior High School enrollment.
Despite the defense's passionate arguments, the court concluded that the state's concerns over digital witness interference were valid. In denying the application, the judge ordered Baffoe to remain on remand but issued a stern directive to the Republic, urging investigators to heavily expedite their cyber investigations to prevent the accused from languishing in pre-trial detention.
