Former NPP Deputy General Secretary and private legal practitioner, Lawyer Augustine Obiri Boahen, has filed a defamation suit at the Kumasi High Court against two social media personalities. The suit, filed on September 17, 2026, names Auntie Ohemaa Mercy, a Kumasi-based businesswoman, and William Amankona, operator of the YouTube channel MUNUFIE POLITICS @ OLD BORGA in Chiraa, as the defendants.
According to the Statement of Claim, Lawyer Obiri Boahen claims that the defendants accused him of using the name of the Asantehene to extort money from them. The plaintiff describes himself as a private legal practitioner of 40 years’ standing and a former Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP). He claims to have represented Ghana internationally as Chairman of Ministers responsible for security in West Africa and says he has built a reputation for honesty and integrity both locally and internationally.
The plaintiff alleges that in early September 2026, Auntie Ohemaa Mercy published content on TikTok and Facebook accusing him of using the name of Otumfuo to defraud her. The publication was made in a local Twi dialect, claiming that Lawyer Obiri Boahen used the Asantehene's name to extort fifty million cedis from her. William Amankona republished the video on his YouTube channel on September 13, 2026, under the title “Obiri Boahen is HOT” and added commentary in a local Twi dialect.
Lawyer Obiri Boahen argues that the publications portrayed him as dishonest, deceitful, and corrupt. He claims that the allegations contained in the publications are completely false and that the defendants distorted his original political commentary by taking it out of context. According to his Statement of Claim, his actual comments concerned a call for President John Mahama to exercise caution and strengthen oversight over appointees whom he alleged were underperforming and causing scandals.
On the issue of malice, the plaintiff intends to rely on several matters contained in his pleadings. He claims that Auntie Ohemaa Mercy had no reasonable grounds to believe the statements she published were true, while William Amankona allegedly reproduced the material for viewership despite knowing it was false. The plaintiff also alleges that Auntie Ohemaa Mercy had previously harboured ill-will towards him and had been made to kneel and apologise on several occasions by the Manhyia Palace sitting in arbitration in Kumasi.
The publications had attracted 7,538 views as of the filing of the suit and continued to circulate. Lawyer Obiri Boahen claims that the publications have seriously damaged his character, credit, and reputation as a lawyer of 40 years and exposed him to public scandal, odium, ridicule, and contempt both in Ghana and internationally. He is seeking a declaration that the publications made by the defendants are defamatory and general damages for defamation.
The plaintiff is also seeking an order directing the defendants to delete the offending videos and social media posts, issue an unqualified retraction and public apology, and a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, or anyone acting on their behalf from further publishing defamatory material concerning him. The case is ongoing, with the court yet to deliver a verdict.
Key points
- Lawyer Augustine Obiri Boahen files defamation suit against two social media personalities over alleged defamatory publications.
- The publications accused Obiri Boahen of using the Asantehene's name to extort money.
- The plaintiff seeks declaration of defamation, damages, and an injunction against further defamatory publications.
