Hon. Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the Member of Parliament for Ofoase-Ayirebi and former Minister for Works and Housing, has filed a defamation lawsuit at the High Court in Accra against Jamal Konneh, also known as Baba Jamal Konneh. The legal action follows comments allegedly made by Konneh during a live radio broadcast in which he linked Oppong Nkrumah to illegal mining activities, commonly called galamsey.
According to the statement of claim, the remarks were made during a live appearance on Okay FM on February 13, 2026. Konneh, who is Deputy Managing Director in charge of Operations at the Cocoa Marketing Company of Ghana and Eastern Regional Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), reportedly alleged that Oppong Nkrumah brought Chinese nationals into Akyemansa in the Eastern Region to engage in illegal mining. He also claimed that these activities hurt cocoa farms and damaged the livelihoods of local farmers.
Oppong Nkrumah is contesting the allegations as false and malicious, stating they portray him as participating in criminal conduct and unfit to hold public office. He says the statements were presented as facts rather than opinions and gained wide circulation due to broadcast and sharing on social media and messaging platforms.
In the court filing, Oppong Nkrumah is seeking a judgment declaring the statements defamatory, along with general damages of GH¢20 million for reputational harm and an additional GH¢10 million in aggravated and exemplary damages. He is also asking the High Court to order a full and unconditional retraction and apology to be aired on Okay FM, published in national newspapers, and shared on all digital platforms that distributed the allegations.
Additionally, Oppong Nkrumah requests a perpetual injunction preventing Konneh from repeating the allegations and an order to remove related content from radio archives, websites, and social media. The case is currently before the High Court for determination.
