![FourthEstate](https://www.fact-checkghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/fcg-logo.png"){kind=logo}
In the last few days, Sierra Leone’s social media has been flooded with claims suggesting that Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to Ghana had been arrested for possessing cocaine. These claims stem from a photo circulating online, which allegedly shows the Ghanaian Times newspaper’s front page reporting the arrest of His Excellency Mohammed Hassan Kaisamba on cocaine possession charges.
“Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to Ghana has been apprehended in Accra while allegedly in possession of cocaine,” the text on the viral photo reads
Fact-Check Ghana has verified the claims and presents the facts below.
Manipulated front page photo of Ghanaian Times newspaper
The viral image, said to be the front page of the Ghanaian Times, purports to report the arrest of HE Kaisamba on Friday, January 31, 2025. However, Fact-Check Ghana’s investigation found that the January 31 issue of the Ghanaian Times did not feature such a story on either the front page or any other page.
Comparing the front page of the January 31 issue of the Ghanaian Times with the viral photo, the team observed that, the viral photo has been manipulated.
On the front page of the January 31 issue, the main story about Ghana’s President John Mahama charging the constitutional review committee to “engage widely with citizens” was exchanged for the story on HE Mohammed Hassan Kaisamba’s arrest.
An editor from the Ghanaian Times confirmed to Fact-Check Ghana that the photo has been edited and his outlet debunked the claim in a disclaimer on its front page on February 3, 2025.
No Record of Arrest from Ghana Police Service
When Fact-Check Ghana reached out to contacts in the Ghana Police Service, they confirmed there were no records of HE Mohammed Hassan Kaisamba’s arrest. They further clarified that any arrest of this nature would have been publicly reported by the police in an official statement.
No Media Coverage in Ghana
Additional checks in the Ghanaian media, including conversations with journalists and keyword searches on news websites, revealed no coverage of the supposed arrest. No media outlet in Ghana has reported any such event involving HE Kaisamba.
Cocaine Case Involving Sierra Leone Embassy in Guinea
The false claim about HE Kaisamba’s arrest appears to be linked to a recent incident involving Sierra Leone’s Embassy in Guinea, which has been associated with cocaine trafficking allegations.
On Monday, January 17, 2025, Guinean police impounded a vehicle belonging to the Sierra Leone Embassy, discovering seven suitcases containing a substance suspected to be cocaine. The police arrested the occupants of the vehicle.
While Sierra Leone’s Ambassador to Guinea, HE Alimamy Bangura, was not in the vehicle when it was pounded, the Sierra Leonean government has recalled him to Freetown to provide a detailed explanation. The Foreign Minister of Sierra Leone has told the media that the two countries are collaborating on the investigation.
In conclusion, the claims that Sierra Leone’s High Commissioner to Ghana has been arrested for cocaine possession are false.
