…Market woman blasts Telecel Ghana over ‘stolen’ snap
An onion seller from Accra’s bustling Makola Market is demanding a whopping GH¢2 million from mobile phone goliath Telecel Ghana, claiming they used her picture in an advert without so much as a by-your-leave.
Faustina Djagbele Abbey, the furious market trader, says her face was plastered all over Telecel’s ‘Red Save’ campaign, leaving her family and customers thinking she’d suddenly struck it rich. And it’s caused her nothing but grief.
Telecel Ghana, big bosses of Ghana Telecommunications, admitted they’ve seen the headlines.
In a statement released today (Thursday, June 19), they said: “We have been made aware of media reports concerning a legal claim lodged by Madam Faustina Djagbele Abbey, alleging the use of her photograph without her consent…”
They’re now “reviewing the situation,” apparently, and keen to stress they take “privacy, consent regarding imagery, and intellectual property very seriously.”
But Ms. Abbey isn’t backing down. She filed her lawsuit on May 23, 2025, through her lawyer, Bernard Owiredu Donkor of Thompson Law Consult. She claims Telecel plastered her image everywhere, including social media, without her permission.
She says it’s a massive breach of her privacy and rights, causing her “mental well-being” to suffer. Imagine the embarrassment.
Telecel has asked the public for “patience” while the legal battle rages on.
This explosive case shines a spotlight on how careful companies need to be when using people’s pictures. It’s a clear warning: get permission, or face the consequences.
What do you think – will the onion seller get her GH¢2 million? Or is Telecel in the clear?