Police say phone and mobile money records reveal backers of Ghana Jollof TikTok account

Pinned summary · as of 16:36

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service says forensic checks on phones and mobile money accounts have exposed a chain of payments tied to videos posted by the TikTok personality known as Ghana Jollof. Police allege that some of the recipients are prominent people, though no such person has been named publicly. One woman has already been taken to court.

What we know

• COP Lydia Yaako Donkor, the CID Director-General, told a police briefing that analysis of seized phones, recordings and mobile money histories uncovered money transfers among people connected to the Ghana Jollof case.
• Police allege that Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, who is said to live in the United Kingdom, sent money to Salomey Baffoe in Ghana, and that part of it was passed on to people who spread the videos.
• The police also say they have worked out who is bankrolling the online activity, including individuals they describe as high-profile or influential. These are allegations by the police and have not been tested in court.
• Salomey Baffoe has been brought before a court and charged with abetment of crime.
• According to the police, transcripts, phone data and financial records will be presented to the court as the case proceeds.
• Police said further investigations are under way to trace other people who may have made, funded or shared the material.

What's disputed / unconfirmed

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  The Insight News Online reported that the charge relates to publishing false news, that Ms Baffoe was arrested on 17 September, appeared at the Adentan Circuit Court, pleaded not guilty and was remanded, with her return to court set for 30 September 2026. The Vaultz News did not report these details.
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  The Insight News Online said police have not made public the names of the alleged financiers, so the identity of the influential people is unknown and their alleged role remains unverified.
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  The Vaultz News reported COP Donkor as saying that a phone examination showed Ms Kodua and Ms Baffoe to be close friends; only one report carries this claim.
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  The Vaultz News reported that the CID cited two statutes, Act 772 of 2008 on electronic transactions and Act 29 of 1960 on criminal offences, as grounds for prosecuting some online posts; no other report carried this.
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  The Insight News Online noted that none of the accusations against those connected to the case have been proven in court.

Why it matters for Ghana

The case shows that the police can use phone contents and mobile money histories to follow payments behind online content, which matters to the many Ghanaians who use TikTok, WhatsApp and mobile money daily. It also raises questions about how far the law reaches into what people post and share online. Because the accused have yet to be tried, and the alleged financiers are unnamed, readers should treat the police claims as accusations that a court will still have to test.