Rashida Black Beauty, Ekeh must be arrested – Maurice Ampaw

Lawyer Dr Maurice Ampaw has called on the police to immediately arrest 19-year-old Rashidatu Mohammed, popularly known as ‘Rashida Black Beauty’, and Christabel Ekeh for indecent exposure.

He said Rashida and Ekeh should not be allowed to walk free after releasing a naked video and pictures of themselves on social media.

Recently, Ghanaian-Nigerian actress Ms Ekeh released her nude pictures on Instagram and claimed it was a new way of introducing to the world the ‘new’ Christabel.

Last Friday, the country was thrown into a state of shock when the Jigwe Award winner, Rashidatu Mohammed, posted a nude video of herself on Facebook.

In an interview with the Daily Heritage, Dr Ampaw said the laws in the country frown on nudity shown on any platform, including social media.

He said Section 275 of the Criminal Code bans any person from persistently soliciting or importuning clients for prostitution or for any other immoral purpose.

He said what the two personalities did by exposing their bodies in public must be treated as a crime and they must be apprehended and prosecuted.

“The Criminal Code of Ghana debars anyone from publishing or offering for sale any material that has the tendency to deprave societal morals. Any publication that is unnecessarily and improperly calculated to excite passions or corrupt those whose minds are open to such immoral influences can be held for promoting obscenity.

“Obscenity also involves having in your possession, putting into circulation or publicly exhibiting obscene drawings, prints, posters, photographs or any other related obscene objects. This means that downloading indecent materials and images from the internet as is often done, also amounts to a criminal offence, even though there are no plans to publish or circulate the obscene objects,” he said. He bemoaned that the needless indecency being thrown at the public each passing day while the police and the legislature look on was a cause for concern.

“We should not fight against galamsey and mob actions only but include indecent exposure and obscenity in the campaign to curb the high rate of young ladies demeaning themselves through indecent sexual exposure to become rich or celebrities,” he said. The frank speaking lawyer said “I foresee that in future if the menace is not brought under control, nude pictures and videos would be sent to the President in search of ministerial post.

“To make this menace stop someone needs to be arrested to send a strong signal that the country’s laws do not condone such immoral behaviours.” He urged the media to stop honouring, glorifying and rewarding impunity and “stupidity” and start awarding decent people.

“We are living in a country where young girls expose their private parts on social media and then immediately they are given award and become celebrities,” he added.