Mohammed Ibrahim, the branch organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Sowutuom, who was sentenced to four years in prison for threatening to kill citizens during the December 7, 2024, elections, has been granted bail.

The Court of Appeal granted him bail in the sum of GHC100,000 with one surety, pending the determination of his appeal. The three-member panel, presided over by Justice Senyo Dzamefe, ruled that there was an error on the face of the record, warranting further review of the case.

Additionally, the court ordered Ibrahim to report to the regional crime officer every two weeks as part of the bail conditions.

His initial application for bail was rejected by the High Court. However, his lawyer, Nii Kpakpo Samuah Addo, proceeded to the Court of Appeal to challenge the sentence.

Ibrahim was sentenced last year by an Accra Circuit Court after being found guilty of multiple charges, including the publication of false news with intent to cause fear and alarm, threat of harm, and offensive conduct likely to breach the peace.

He received a three-year sentence for the false news charge, four years for threat of harm, and three years for offensive conduct. The sentences were to run concurrently.

According to the prosecution, Ibrahim had identified himself as the leader of a revolutionary group known as “Ka na wu,” which translates to “Speak and die” in Twi.

The case against him stemmed from a viral video, which surfaced on social media platforms including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok on September 3, 2024. In the footage, Ibrahim, wearing a red military-style beret, accused the Ghana Police Service in the Ashanti Region, under the direction of the Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare, and then Minister of the Interior, Mr Henry Quartey, of recruiting fake police personnel to kill citizens during the elections.

Furthermore, he explicitly threatened violence, stating that he and his associates knew the Minister’s residence and that in the event of war, they would shoot him.

Following the video’s circulation, the police declared Ibrahim wanted on September 10, 2024. His subsequent arrest led to a search of his residence in Sowutuom, where officers retrieved the red beret seen in the viral footage.