GACL boss takes Facebook user to court over GH₵10 million libel claim

Pinned summary · as of 16:36

Yvonne Nana Afriyie Opare, who runs the Ghana Airports Company Limited (GACL), has gone to the Accra High Court to sue a Facebook user, Samuel Bryan Buabeng, for libel. She wants GH₵10 million in general damages, plus aggravated and exemplary damages. Her case is that his online posts falsely link her to narcotics trafficking and misuse of office.

What we know

• Ms Opare, the GACL Managing Director, has filed a writ of summons at the Accra High Court against Mr Buabeng, whom she accuses of defaming her on social media.
• Ms Opare is asking for GH₵10 million as general damages for libel, and also wants aggravated and exemplary damages.
• The claim centres on a post of 22 September 2026 on Mr Buabeng's public Facebook page, which her lawyers say carried her name and photograph next to those of a GACL aviation security supervisor.
• Her lawyers say the post accused that staff member of helping a drug baron and of emptying bank accounts, one holding more than GH₵500,000, and suggested people in high places were profiting. Those are Mr Buabeng's claims as relayed by her lawyers; none has been proven.
• Ms Opare's lawyers argue that pairing her image with the staff member's implied an improper link and a share in alleged drug dealing. They say she strongly denies any criminal involvement, corruption or abuse of office, and took no part in and gained nothing from the conduct described.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  Citi Newsroom reported that Ms Opare also wants a declaration that the post is false and defamatory, an order to delete it and all copies, a retraction and apology pinned for 30 days on the same page, and a permanent bar on repeating the claims. The other independent report did not list these reliefs.
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  Citi Newsroom reported that her lawyers first sent a cease-and-desist letter and demanded a retraction, an apology and a written promise not to repeat the claims. This has not been carried by other independent reports.
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  Citi Newsroom said the lawyers stated the staff member has worked at GACL since 1 September 2004 and has no personal link to Ms Opare beyond their official roles; this comes from her side alone.
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  Mr Buabeng has not been quoted in the reports, so his response to the suit is not known, and the court has yet to rule on any of the claims.

Why it matters for Ghana

The airports company runs the country's main gateways, so accusations about its leadership and security staff touch public confidence in how they are managed. The case will also test how Ghanaian courts treat allegations made on social media, where posts by individuals can reach many people quickly. Until the High Court decides, the claims in the Facebook post remain unproven accusations.