Women hit streets to demand release of detained nurse
Women from across the country yesterday hit the streets in a demonstration dubbed “Women’s Voices Matter” to demand the immediate release of Techiman-based Senior Nursing Officer, Salomey Awiti Baffoe.
The demonstrators, clad in red and black, converged at the AMA Park before marching through major streets in the business district to the premises of the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
They gave President John Dramani Mahama 24 hours to ensure her release, alleging that she has been detained by the government and that her family does not know her whereabouts.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Madam Veep, Speak up against the abuse of women!”, “Don’t abuse people’s rights because your wife is hurt” and “Let our women breathe without fear”, the women displayed pictures of arrested women who spoke against the government.
Emotions ran high during the protest as one woman broke down in tears, appealing to the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, and Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang to intervene and secure Salomey’s release so she could return home to care for her three children.
Speaking at the demonstration, convener Akosua Manu rejected allegations linking Salomey Awiti Baffoe to the anonymous TikToker Ghana Jollof, stating that the evidence presented is insufficient.
She argued that remand is being misused as a punitive measure, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent for Ghana’s political culture and undermines fair justice.
“They drove her nine hours to Accra without her family knowing where she was. Today, Salomey is still in the grips of the Police. We are begging our tyrant President Mahama to stop victimising women and free Salomey,” said Akosua Amoabeng, another convener.
The group later handed over a petition to the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, calling on the Ministry to live up to its mandate of protecting women.
Background
Salomey Awiti Baffoe, a 40-year-old principal nursing officer and mother of three, was picked up in Techiman in the middle of the night by National Intelligence officers and subsequently remanded by the Adenta Circuit Court ‘1’ on September 17 for two weeks for allegedly abetting the publication of false news.
Police allege she served as a liaison for Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, alias ‘Ghana Jollof’ – believed to be based in the United Kingdom – to publish and circulate videos containing offensive, inciting statements, including threats to overthrow the government.
Her lawyers filed a bail application at the High Court after the circuit court refused an oral application, but Justice Halima El-Alawa Abdul-Baasit on September 24 refused bail, citing the cyber-related nature of the case and the likelihood of interference with ongoing investigations.
The case has sparked national debate on free speech, with former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Deputy Minority Leader Patricia Appiagyei, and private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu all calling for her release.
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