The Greater Accra Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jefferson Asare Danquah, has expressed disappointment over the High Court’s decision to deny bail to 40-year-old nurse Salomey Baffoe in the Ghana Jollof case.
Mr Danquah said the Association remains firmly behind the Senior Nursing Officer, who is facing charges linked to the alleged publication of false news.
Addressing journalists after the ruling on September 24, he said the development had left members of the nursing fraternity deeply distressed.
“We’re very disappointed. We’re so disappointed about the turn of events. But for now, we will stay quiet and have discussions among ourselves.
“We are devastated. You can see the nurses I came with. Very, very devastated. But this is the law. There’s little we can say,” he said.
Despite the setback, Mr Danquah said the Association would continue to stand with Baffoe and expressed hope that she would eventually be cleared.
“We are showing solidarity and we are with her. And we know that at the end of the day, she’s going to come out free. And for the trial, she will continue. Just that we are very disappointed. And we think that she still could be granted bail,” he added.
Salomey Baffoe, a Senior Nursing Officer based in Techiman, has been charged with abetting the publication of false news under Sections 20(1) and 208 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29). She has pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors allege that she acted as a liaison for UK-based TikTok personality Barbara Asantewaa Kodua, popularly known as “Ghana Jollof,” who is being investigated over alleged publication of false news and incendiary comments against the government.
According to the prosecution, financial transactions between the two have been identified, with Kodua allegedly sending money to Baffoe to recruit people to redistribute videos on social media. Kodua is currently outside Ghana and has been declared wanted.
At the September 24 hearing, the High Court in Accra rejected Baffoe’s bail application after prosecutors argued that she remained relevant to ongoing cyber investigations and could interfere with witnesses if released.
The court cited the cyber-related nature of the investigation as presenting a real risk of interference, while directing the Republic to expedite the case.
Baffoe was initially arraigned before the Adentan Circuit Court and remanded in police custody for two weeks. She is expected to return to court on September 30.
Her lawyer, Nana Agyei Baffour Awuah, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, has indicated plans to appeal the High Court’s decision and petition the Chief Justice to permit the Court of Appeal to sit during the legal vacation to hear the bail application.
He maintains that investigations specifically involving Baffoe have been completed, her phones are already in police custody and there is no evidence that she would interfere with the ongoing investigation.
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