A court in Ghana has sentenced TikToker Camilla Alhassan to one year in prison after she pleaded guilty to publishing false allegations that President John Mahama sacrificed 32 cows in a ritual to secure victory in the country’s 2024 presidential election.
According to the BBC, the 43-year-old content creator was convicted of offensive conduct and publication of false news over a series of TikTok videos she shared last month and earlier this month.
In the videos, Alhassan claimed, without providing any evidence, that President Mahama performed a ritual involving the sacrifice of 32 cows to ensure his electoral victory during the 2024 presidential poll.
She further alleged that the government’s distribution of sanitary pads to victims of flooding was designed to divert public attention from the purported ritual.
The court, however, dismissed her request for a reduced sentence, ruling that a custodial punishment was necessary to discourage the increasing spread of false information on social media platforms.
During the trial, prosecutors argued that Alhassan, who has amassed more than 70,000 followers on TikTok, deliberately published false and defamatory claims against the president through videos that gained significant attention and were widely circulated online.
The court held that the content had the potential to mislead the public and damage the reputation of the country’s leader.
Her conviction has once again sparked public discussion in Ghana over how authorities should balance efforts to curb misinformation with the constitutional right to freedom of expression.
The case is one of several involving social media influencers in recent years as Ghanaian authorities intensify efforts to tackle the spread of false information online.
In September 2025, another TikTok content creator, David Kwodwo Prah Afful, popularly known as Kwame Nkrumah II, was sentenced to seven months in prison after he was found guilty of issuing death threats against President Mahama and members of parliament in a viral video.
The Mahama administration has consistently expressed concern over the growing circulation of false information on digital platforms.
Last year, President Mahama warned that security agencies would identify and prosecute individuals responsible for spreading fake news, hate speech and content capable of creating fear, panic or instability in the country.
The Ghanaian government is also reviewing proposed legislation aimed at strengthening the fight against misinformation while ensuring that constitutional protections for freedom of expression are preserved.
Officials have maintained that any future legal framework would seek to protect citizens from harmful falsehoods without undermining legitimate public discourse or media freedom.
