By Ewoenam Kpodo
Ho, May 28, GNA – The National Peace Council (NPC) has called on the Ghana Police Service (GPS) to exercise “surgical precision” in handling speech-related offences online, warning against the use of the law to shield politicians from public criticism.
Dr David Esinu Normanyo, Volta Regional Executive Secretary of the NPC, made the call on Thursday while addressing senior officers and personnel of the Service in Ho as part of the 2026 Constitution Week celebrations under the theme: “Upholding Our Constitution in the Digital Age: Our Collective Responsibility.”
He said the digital age had transformed crime and national discourse but must not become an excuse to intimidate citizens.
“True national security cannot exist in a vacuum where citizens are intimidated or terrified to critique, challenge, or speak out against their political leaders,” he stated.
“The badge of office worn by any politician—including the President—does not insulate them from public scrutiny; rather, it invites it.”
Dr Normanyo, a former Police Detective, said crime had evolved from physical footprints to borderless digital threats, including cybercrime, identity theft, digital fraud, misinformation, and hate speech, which pose growing risks to national security and social cohesion.
Referencing recent debates highlighted by international media, including DW Africa, he questioned whether arrests over TikTok and Facebook comments were intended to protect national security or suppress dissent against politicians.
“If an arrest over a social media post occurs solely because the target of criticism happens to hold high political office, then we have drifted away from equal enforcement of the law and toward political exceptionalism,” he said.
At the same time, Dr Normanyo stressed that free speech was not an unrestricted licence to threaten or destabilise society. Citing Article 41 of the Constitution, he said rights must be exercised with regard for others and collective security.
He noted that explicit death threats against public officials were criminal acts outside constitutional protection and required swift intervention by the state.
Dr Normanyo urged the Police Service to apply the Cybersecurity Act, 2020 (Act 1038) with “extreme caution and surgical precision,” ensuring arrests are based on credible evidence rather than political pressure.
He also called on officers to model responsible digital citizenship in their personal online conduct.
“As law enforcement professionals, you must be the ultimate filter against misinformation. Do not forward news that sounds sensational, ethnically divisive, or politically inflammatory. Verify it,” he advised.
Drawing on his work with the Peace Council, Dr Normanyo noted that social media had become a risk multiplier for communal and chieftaincy disputes. He advocated stronger collaboration between the Police, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), decentralised assemblies, and traditional authorities to prevent digital conflicts from escalating.
ACP Mercy Wilson-Brown, Volta Regional Coordinator of the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the GPS, reminded officers to respect the rights of all individuals and apply the law impartially, regardless of political affiliation, gender, or social status.
She highlighted the limits of free expression under the 1992 Constitution and the Public Order Act, noting that while Article 21 protects liberty and free speech, such freedoms must not undermine national security, public morality, or the functioning of emergency services.
“Praying for someone’s death or making threats against life are not minor matters. They constitute a criminal offense under the law, and it is our duty as law enforcement officers to identify the right law and apply it without fear or favour,” she said.
Some officers said they were leaving the forum with a renewed commitment to institutional integrity and to ensuring that Ghana’s technological future remains anchored in the rule of law, peace, and national security.
Mr Kenneth Kponor, Volta Regional Director of the NCCE, said the event formed part of activities marking Constitution Week, observed annually from April 28 to May 4 since 2001 to commemorate the 1992 referendum that adopted the Fourth Republican Constitution, which came into force on January 7, 1993.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah /Audrey Dekalu
Reporter: Ewoenam Kpodo