By Grace Zigah
The arrest and prosecution of Ghanaian TikToker Camilla Alhassan have ignited a fresh political controversy, with allegations circulating on social media that the content creator was assaulted while in the custody of National Security following her arrest over videos targeting President John Dramani Mahama.
The claims emerged shortly after Camilla, who is widely known on TikTok for her political commentary and support for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), was arrested on Friday, July 10, 2026, over videos in which she made a series of allegations against President Mahama including sacrificing 32 cows for electoral victory.
According to social media posts that quickly gained traction, Camilla was allegedly picked up by National Security operatives, physically assaulted and later taken to the Spintex Police Station.
Some political commentators and activists questioned whether suspects in Ghana should be subjected to physical abuse while in custody, arguing that every accused person is entitled to protection under the law regardless of the allegations against them.
One widely circulated post claimed Camilla’s ordeal stemmed from comments she made regarding a controversial video in which a self-styled pastor alleged that 32 cows had been sacrificed to secure victory for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) during the 2024 general elections.
The post further questioned why the pastor who allegedly made the original claims had not been arrested while Camilla faced criminal charges.
The social media commentary also accused authorities of selectively applying the law and warned that all developments surrounding the case were being documented for future accountability.
However, no official statement from the Ghana Police Service or National Security has publicly confirmed the allegations that Camilla was assaulted while in custody.
Court proceedings, meanwhile, reveal that Camilla Alhassan was formally charged with publication of false news and offensive conduct following investigations into several TikTok videos she posted after the recent floods and fire outbreaks in parts of Accra.
According to prosecutors, the 43-year-old TikToker published videos alleging, without publicly available evidence, that President John Dramani Mahama had sacrificed 32 cows to secure political power.
She also claimed that the government’s distribution of sanitary pads to flood victims formed part of an attempt to conceal those alleged sacrifices.
Prosecutors further indicated that she made additional defamatory claims against the President.
Prior to her arrest, Camilla herself disclosed in a TikTok video that she had received a telephone call from a woman who identified herself as an officer of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), directing her to report to the CID Headquarters.
She informed her followers that she intended to honour the invitation voluntarily and planned to travel there with her brother on his motorbike.
She was subsequently arraigned before Accra Circuit Court 1 on the same day of her arrest, where she pleaded guilty to all the charges before Judge Emmanuella Asmah.
Although the court accepted her guilty plea, sentencing was deferred until July 16, 2026.
The presiding judge also ordered that Camilla undergo a pregnancy test before sentencing. She was remanded into lawful custody pending the next hearing.
