Ghana TikToker 'Bawumia Ba' re-arrested, faces fresh offensive conduct charge

Ghana: TikToker Mahama Aminat, popularly known as "Bawumia Ba" has been re-arrested by Ghana Police over an alleged case of offensive conduct. The 26-year-old was arraigned before the Accra Circuit Court on Monday, July 20, 2026, on the latest charge. Police noted that the investigations into the matter are ongoing, however, authorities have not yet disclosed full details of the new allegation.

The re-arrest comes two months after Aminat was first detained by the Police's Cyber Vetting and Enforcement Team (CVET). She was arrested on May 20, 2026, at Sekyere Zongo in the Sekyere Kumawu District of the Ashanti Region, following a joint operation involving CVET and the Surveillance Unit of the National Operations Department.

That arrest followed the circulation of TikTok videos on May 19, 2026, in which police allege Aminat made insulting remarks about President John Dramani Mahama. Police also allege she issued threats against the life of the President and First Lady Lordina Mahama, and encouraged others to attack them.

Aminat, also known online as Akosua Serwaa Minat, is an NPP-aligned content creator recognised for her outspoken support of former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, from whom her nickname derives.

Following her first arrest, she was arraigned before Accra Circuit Court 2 on May 22, 2026, and granted bail of GH¢1 million with two sureties. Bail conditions required one surety to be a civil servant earning not less than GH¢5,000 monthly, and that she surrender her passport or Ghana Card to police and report regularly to investigators. Her bail was later reduced to GH¢50,000, with one surety required to earn at least GH¢2,500 monthly.

Footage of Aminat clashing with bloggers at the court premises following her July 20 re-arrest has since circulated online, which recorded her outrage in handcuffs.

The case has drawn public attention amid ongoing debate over free speech and online political expression in Ghana. Bawumia has previously accused the Mahama administration of using arrests to intimidate opposition supporters over political commentary posted on social media.