Ghanaian TikToker Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, popularly known as 'Ghana Jollof', has dared the Ghanaian government to extradite her from the United Kingdom. Kodua is wanted by the Ghana Police Service for allegedly making offensive and inciting comments and publishing false information on her TikTok account. The police have declared her wanted and are seeking to bring her before the law. Kodua, however, has dismissed the prospect of being extradited to Ghana.
According to the Ghana Police Service, Kodua allegedly uses her TikTok account to make offensive and inciting comments and publish false information likely to cause fear and alarm. The police have shared videos linked to the account as part of the allegations against her. In one of the videos, Kodua is heard alleging that there had been an attempted coup d'état because President John Mahama had angered some soldiers through his actions.
Kodua has directly challenged the Ghanaian government to use extradition proceedings to bring her back. "I dare the government of Ghana that if they can use extradition to bring me from the country that I reside in to Ghana, they can't," she said. "They can't because there is no law that will allow them to extradite me." She further insisted that she would not return to Ghana through an extradition process.
Kodua acknowledged that she could choose to return to Ghana on her own, but maintained that she would not return through an extradition process. Her comments come as the police pursue the case against her over the content allegedly published through the "Ghana Jollof" TikTok account. The police have characterised the content as offensive and inciting, as well as false information capable of causing fear and alarm.
Meanwhile, a Ghanaian Senior Nursing Officer, Salomey Awity Baffoe, has been remanded into custody for two weeks by the Adenta Circuit Court 1 in Accra over allegations that she facilitated the spread of the content posted by the Ghana Jollof TikTok account. Kodua, however, has rejected the attempt to bring her back to Ghana through extradition and maintains that she would only return voluntarily.
Kodua also alleged that the arrest of the nurse constitutes political persecution because the nurse's husband, who lives outside Ghana, is an active member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Ghana Police Service disclosed that its investigations so far have established that Kodua paid an individual named Salomey Awitti Baffoe and others to redistribute her false information on various social media platforms.
The police also said it had uncovered alleged financial transactions involving the nurse and some high-profile persons in society. For now, Kodua remains in the United Kingdom, while the Ghana Police Service maintains that she is wanted in connection with the allegations against her. The development has raised questions about the legal process that could be used to bring a suspect living abroad back to Ghana, particularly where allegations of political persecution are made.
Key points
- TikToker 'Ghana Jollof' challenges Ghanaian government to extradite her from the UK.
- Ghana Police Service declares Kodua wanted for allegedly making offensive and inciting comments and publishing false information.
- Kodua's comments raise questions about the legal process for bringing a suspect living abroad back to Ghana.
