Man who threatened to shoot, kill citizens on Dec 7 jailed 4 years

A Sowutuom Branch Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mohammed Ibrahim, has been sentenced to four years in prison for threatening citizens during Ghana's December 7 general election.

An Accra Circuit Court presided over by Evelyn Asamoah, convicted Ibrahim after he was tried on charges of publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm, making threats of harm, and engaging in offensive conduct likely to breach the peace. Despite pleading not guilty, he was found culpable and handed a sentence of three years for publishing false news, four years for threats of harm, and three years for offensive conduct. The sentences, however, will run concurrently.

The prosecution presented three witnesses during the trial, while Ibrahim also called three witnesses in his defense after opening his case. The court denied his bail request, prompting his lawyer, Francis Xavier Sosu, to request an expedited trial.

According to the prosecution, Ibrahim, who referred to himself as the leader of a revolutionary group called "Ka na wu" (meaning "speak and die" in Twi), made alarming statements in a video shared widely on social media platforms, including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, on September 3, 2024.

In the video, Ibrahim, wearing a red military-style beret, accused the Ghana Police Service in the Ashanti Region, under the direction of Inspector General of Police Dr. George Akuffo Dampare and Interior Minister Mr. Henry Quartey, of recruiting fake officers to harm citizens during the upcoming elections. He further claimed to know the Interior Minister's residence and threatened to harm him in the event of conflict in Ghana. Ibrahim also declared his intent to incite violence during the elections.

After the video went viral, the Ghana Police Service declared Ibrahim wanted on September 10, 2024. He was subsequently arrested, and a search of his residence in Sowutuom uncovered the red beret featured in the video.