The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service has uncovered a network of individuals it alleges bankrolled the activities of TikTok account operator Barbara Asantewaa Koduah, popularly known as “Ghana Jolof.”
Briefing the media at the CID headquarters in Accra on Friday, September 18, the Director-General of the CID, Commissioner of Police (COP) Lydia Donkor, said investigators have traced mobile money records and other financial evidence linking what she described as “highly influential persons” to the funding and circulation of videos deemed offensive and inciting.
Nurse Arrested, Remanded
As part of the investigation into alleged publication of false news, inciting comments and offensive conduct, police have arrested Salomey Awittey Bafoe, a nurse living in Techiman in the Bono East Region.
Bafoe, picked up on September 17, 2026, was arraigned on a charge of abetting the publication of false news. She has been remanded into police custody and is due to reappear before the court on September 30, 2026.
The Allegations
According to COP Donkor, police intelligence identified Koduah, who is believed to be based in the United Kingdom, as the person behind the “Ghana Jolof” TikTok account.
Investigators allege the account was used to publish videos laced with provocative and incendiary statements capable of sparking violence. Among the publications under scrutiny, police said, is a false claim that a coup attempt had nearly occurred at the Jubilee House.
Bafoe was identified as an alleged aide who helped spread the videos. A forensic examination of her mobile phone reportedly revealed that she and Koduah were friends, and that Bafoe allegedly recruited others to redistribute the content across multiple social media platforms.
Follow the Money
Police said forensic analysis of mobile devices, audio and video files, and mobile money transaction records exposed a flow of funds tied to the operation.
COP Donkor told journalists that “highly influential persons” allegedly transferred substantial sums to Bafoe, who is said to have shared portions of the money with Koduah and others involved in distributing the videos.
Investigators also uncovered a reverse flow: Koduah, while in the UK, allegedly remitted money to Bafoe in Ghana to sustain the activities, with portions of those funds subsequently shared among other individuals circulating the content.
Material retrieved from Bafoe’s phone, according to the CID, is expected to help unmask the alleged financial sponsors. Voice analysis, phone records and other evidence have been processed and will be presented in court as the case progresses, the police said.
Investigation Ongoing
The CID said efforts are underway to identify and locate others believed to have participated in redistributing the videos, as well as persons suspected of financing the operation. The investigation is being conducted in collaboration with the National Signals Bureau.
COP Donkor cautioned the public that online publications and conduct that breach Ghanaian law can attract criminal liability, specifically citing the Electronic Transactions Act, 2008 (Act 772) and the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
She urged Ghanaians to exercise restraint in their online engagements, assuring that the service will continue working with stakeholders to preserve law and order both offline and in digital spaces.
Friday’s briefing, the CID noted, forms part of its commitment to updating the public on major cases and promoting transparency and accountability in its operations.
By Gifty Boateng