'We will find you' - President Mahama reacts to crackdown on hate speech

President John Dramani Mahama, at his encounter with the media on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, issued a stern warning to persons who use social media to peddle falsehood and project language he described as hate speech.

He indicated that such persons would be tracked by the nation’s security authorities and punished according to the laws of the country.

He refuted assertions that such statements form part of freedom of speech and should not be criminalised, stressing that such speeches would be prosecuted as crimes.

The National Signals Bureau (NSB) now has the technology to use a person’s IP number to find the location of that individual, wherever they may be.

“So, I'm sending a signal to Ghanaians that if you peddle falsehood, hate speech and make utterances to cause fear and panic, we will find you (sic). We'll use your IP number to trace you.

“When we trace you, we'll deal with you under the criminal code for inciting violence and disturbance of the peace,” he said.

He clarified that hate speech has become a norm in the country’s social media space because of the lack of regulation.

He cited the case of some activists of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), who made comments that were offensive and abusive against him, following the tragic helicopter crash on August 6, 2025.

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“I believe that beyond that, we must start making regulations for this new media because it is unregulated. So, anybody just takes a phone and says, ‘Oh this plane crash, I wished that so, so and so should have been the one in the helicopter and had died, and dwarves would have eaten him in the forest.’

“I mean, why would you say something like that? So, we need regulation for that new and emerging media. In the meantime, the National Signals Bureau (NSB) has been given full authority to track down people who do that kind of thing,” he reiterated.

Watch a video of his remarks below:

#wontuminews : “We’re going to trace those who do the hate speeches and deal with them under the criminal code” -John Mahama.

He should be the first target of the next NPP administration if they’re serious. He set the tone for the hate speeches in this country and can’t take a… pic.twitter.com/VxlMjSAB5e

— Wontumi Communications (@WontumiTV) September 10, 2025

At least, four people have been arrested in connection with a TikTok live session, during which some content creators were heard making unpalatable remarks against President John Mahama, following the tragic August 6, 2025, helicopter crash.

The horrific crash claimed the lives of eight Ghanaian statesmen, including ministers.

The four content creators, believed to be social media activists aligned with the New Patriotic Party (NPP), were arrested for remarks they made on their TikTok live session.

They have since been charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and offensive conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

The four accused persons have all been granted bail.



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