‘No One Will Be Chased Over Insults Under My Presidency’ – Bawumia
Story By: Deborah Adorsu
Former Vice President and NPP flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has condemned the arrest and remand of a Techiman-based nurse, Salomey Bafor Awiti, assuring Ghanaians that under his presidency, state intelligence agencies will not be used to chase citizens for insulting the President or any other person.
In a statement posted on Facebook on Thursday, September 18, 2026, Dr. Bawumia described the circumstances surrounding the arrest of the 40-year-old mother of three as “very worrying.”
According to reports, Salomey, a senior nursing officer at Abrafi Women and Children’s Hospital in Techiman, was picked up around 11:30 p.m.
on September 13 at her home in Hansua by persons who identified themselves as National Security operatives.
Her family reportedly struggled to trace her whereabouts, with the Bono East Regional Police and Regional National Security initially saying they had no record of the operation.
She was later arraigned before the Adenta Circuit Court on September 17, pleaded not guilty to a charge of abetment of crime to wit publication of false news, and was remanded for two weeks.
Her arrest is linked to ongoing investigations into the anonymous social media commentator known as “Ghana Jollof.”
Reacting, Dr. Bawumia said, “This is not the Ghana we want to build. I can assure Ghanaians that when given the opportunity, our intelligence agencies will not be reduced to chasing citizens for insulting the President or anyone else.”
The former Vice President stressed that he has always disavowed politics of insults and will continue to urge decorum in public discourse.
However, he cautioned government against infringing on free speech rights, saying “any infringement on the right to free speech pushes our democracy backwards.
He ended with a direct appeal: “Please release Salomey Bafor Awiti and others who have been similarly charged and jailed. God bless our homeland Ghana and help us to resist oppressors’ rule!”