Ten Years in Prison for Kanawu Leader's Threats Against IGP and Minister

Following a day-to-day trial, Mohammed Ibrahim, a self-identified farmer, was sentenced to ten years in jail on three charges by Evelyn Asamoah, a High Court Judge with additional duties in the Circuit Court, Accra.

After evidence was provided indicating Ibrahim's acts were meant to promote fear, threaten public authorities, and disturb public peace in advance of Ghana's national elections on December 7, 2024, the court rendered its decision on Friday, November 30, 2024.

Ibrahim received four-year sentences for spreading false information with the intention of frightening and alarming people, three years for threatening to harm people, and three more years for engaging in offensive behavior that could lead to a breach of peace.Ten years in prison will be the cumulative effect of the consecutive sentences.

Information on the Charges

Count One: False News Is Published

In accordance with Section 206 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), Ibrahim was convicted on September 3, 2024, of publishing a video in which he falsely claimed that the Ghana Police Service, acting under the direction of Henry Quartey, the Minister for the Interior, and Dr. George Akuffo Dampare, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), were hiring phony police officers to attack voters during the elections. The public could be frightened and alarmed by the film, the court decided.

Second Count: Danger of Injury

Ibrahim was found guilty under Section 74 of the Criminal Offenses Act of threatening to hurt Henry Quartey, the Minister of the Interior. Ibrahim said he and his colleagues knew the Minister's home and threatened to shoot him if violence broke out in the same video.

The third count is offensive conduct.

Additionally, Ibrahim was found guilty by the court of offensive conduct under Section 207 of the Criminal Offenses Act.

At a public event, he was found guilty of using derogatory, abusive, and threatening words against IGP Dampare; his remarks were thereafter extensively disseminated on social media.

Background of the Case

Ibrahim, who identified himself as the leader of a Revolutionary group called Kanawu (“Speak and Die”), published the contentious video on Facebook, X and TikTok. Wearing a red beret, he accused the police and government officials of conspiring against the public.

His inflammatory remarks included direct threats of violence during the upcoming elections.

Following the video’s circulation, the Ghana Police Service declared Ibrahim wanted on September 10, 2024.

He was then taken into custody at his home in Sowutuom, where the police recovered the beret that was shown in the video. Under questioning, Ibrahim acknowledged making and disseminating the video.