The Circuit Court 10 in Accra, presided over by Her Honour Evelyn Asamoah, has sentenced a 29-year-old TikToker, Francis Amofa, to a fine of 1,000 penalty units, equivalent to GH¢12,000 for publishing false news with intent to cause fear and alarm.
In default of payment, Amofa will serve 50 days’ imprisonment with hard labour. Amofa, who operates on TikTok under the username “VIBRATON 48”, pleaded guilty simplicita to the charge.
The court further ordered him to pay GH¢6,000 as compensation to the complainant and to delete the false content from his TikTok platform.
The offence, Publication of False News with Intent to Cause Fear and Alarm, is contrary to Section 208(1) of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29).
Case Facts
Presenting the facts, DSP Emmanuel Nyamekye told the court that the complainant is Mr. Dilip Chandwani, Director of DKC 2015 Limited, the importer and distributor of the Tradition Rice brand, with a distribution outlet at Kaneshie in Accra.
The accused, a tailor residing at Botwe School Junction, on January 2, 2026 published a video on TikTok featuring the Tradition Rice brand.
The video was accompanied by a voice-over commentary in the Akan language in which Amofa falsely alleged that the product was fake, deadly and could cause death within a year if consumed. He further advised the general public to desist from patronising the product.
According to the prosecution, the complainant became aware of the video on January 3, 2026 and immediately reported the matter to the police, prompting investigations.
On January 6, 2026 Amofa was identified as the operator of the TikTok account “VIBRATION148” and was arrested at Botwe School Junction.
He was subsequently conveyed to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters to assist with investigations.
During investigations, the accused admitted in his caution and charge statements that he made and published the video without any scientific test or verification.
He stated that his motive was solely to boost his TikTok account by attracting more views and followers.
The prosecution revealed that as at the time of his arrest, the video had attracted over 800,000 views and approximately 325 re-distributions, demonstrating its wide reach and viral nature.
Further investigations established that Tradition Rice is a duly vetted and approved imported food product, certified by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) as safe for human consumption, with FDA Registration Number FDA/Ce 25-1019.
The court was told that Amofa’s actions negatively and drastically affected the nationwide sales of the Tradition Rice brand and were likely to injure the reputation and business of the complainant.
After considering the facts and the guilty plea, the court convicted and sentenced the accused accordingly.
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The post TikToker sentenced for publishing false news about ‘tradition rice’ appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.
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