Deputy Minister of Roads and Highways Alhassan Suhuyini dismissed claims that freedom of speech is being attacked in Ghana, insisting that what is increasingly scrutinised is “irresponsible speech” and conduct.
His remarks came after the arrest and two‑week remand of senior nursing officer Salomey Awity Baffoe, who is accused of aiding the person police identify as the operator of the “Ghana Jollof” TikTok account that has criticised government officials.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Friday, September 18, 2026, Suhuyini said journalists and media practitioners should not automatically equate legal action against individuals over their conduct or statements with an attack on freedom of expression. “If you, by virtue of having access to a media platform, engage in what clearly is irresponsible conduct, and then you are called to account for that irresponsibility, you don’t link that to free speech,” he said.
Drawing on his own background as a former journalist, Suhuyini highlighted figures such as Kweku Baako Jr., Kwesi Pratt Jr. and Professor Kofi Karikari, who had historically critiqued governments, including the Jerry Rawlings administration, and argued that strong, critical opinions have always been part of Ghana’s media landscape.
He acknowledged that there have been periods when media freedom faced pressure, including the shutdown of media houses perceived to have political affiliations, but stressed that any arrest or prosecution should be judged under existing laws. “If the law exists and there is a charge and there’s evidence of a conduct, it is the person’s lawyers to now prove that that conduct does not fall foul of the law,” he said.
“For now, I am saying that I don’t think that we have a media, I don’t think that the media is under attack, I don’t think free expression is under attack,” Suhuyini concluded, adding that what he sees is “irresponsible expressions, irresponsible conduct in the media are coming under strong scrutiny.”
Observers will watch how the legal process unfolds for Baffoe and whether the government’s stance on media criticism remains consistent as the case proceeds.
