Effiduase/Asokore MP Dr Nana Ayew Afriye has questioned a recent decision to invite New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist “Efya Royal by state security agencies as they seek the identity and whereabouts of anonymous social media commentator “Ghana Jollof”.
In a Facebook post on Saturday (5 September) Dr Ayew Afriye criticised the decision to invite Efya Royal, describing the move as “the height of absurdity” and questioning the investigative methods being employed by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).
He said national security intelligence required “precision, subtle tradecraft, and rigorous investigation”, arguing that inviting an activist because she operates within similar political or social circles exposed what he described as a worrying operational weakness.
According to the MP, Efya Royal was being questioned over the identity and whereabouts of “Ghana Jollof”, an anonymous commentator who has reportedly made critical and allegedly unsavoury remarks on social media about President John Dramani Mahama, his wife and First Lady Lordina Mahama, and other officials associated with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration.
Dr Ayew Afriye said “Ghana Jollof” had repeatedly stated during broadcasts that her face had never been published on any public platform.
He therefore questioned how Efya Royal could reasonably be expected to identify the anonymous commentator, arguing that even encountering her physically would not necessarily enable someone to identify her by sight.
“Dragging an innocent citizen into an intelligence dragnet simply to crowdsource basic investigative work sets a questionable precedent,” the MP said.
He urged the security agencies to employ modern cyber-intelligence, digital forensics and standard investigative procedures to establish the identity of the anonymous commentator rather than relying on activists who, he said, had no official connection to the subject.
“The security services must leave Efya Royal alone and do the actual groundwork required to find ‘Ghana Jollof’ themselves,” he said.
Dr Ayew Afriye said the matter raised broader concerns about the conduct of national security investigations, insisting that “high-stakes national intelligence work demands seriousness, not public fishing expeditions.”
The circumstances surrounding Efya Royal’s detention, including the duration of her detention and whether she has been formally accused of any offence, were not immediately clear.
The specific social media comments allegedly made by “Ghana Jollof” that prompted the security operation have also not been publicly detailed.
The National Intelligence Bureau, formerly the Bureau of National Investigations, has not publicly commented on the claims in Dr Ayew Afriye’s post.
