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The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Income Investment Fund (MIIF), Mrs. Justina Nelson, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, urging an investigation into newspaper editors she claims have published false and damaging reports about her and the state fund she leads.
Sources indicate the petition stems from Mrs. Nelson’s dissatisfaction with recent media coverage of her management at MIIF, her refusal to release the 2024 audited financial statements, and her request for the Auditor-General to re-audit the figures, citing alleged misstatements in the original report.
Following the petition, the Police have commenced investigations through the Special Operations Assistance (SOA) unit under the IGP’s office, reportedly focusing on suspicions of malicious publications against Mrs. Nelson.
The editor of the New Crusading Guide, Mr. Ernest Addo, has already responded to an invitation from the SOA, attending with his lawyer, Egbert Faibille Jr., and the newspaper’s founder and managing editor, Kwaku Baako Jr., on February 11, 2026. Broadcast journalist Wilberforce Asare was also interrogated on February 24, spending approximately two and a half hours at the Police CID office. Lawyers for Asare, Dame and Partners, secured a copy of the petition in advance of his appearance.
In her petition, Mrs. Nelson described the publications as “persistent, false, malicious, and coordinated,” targeting both her and MIIF across social and traditional media. She alleged the campaign began shortly after her appointment on January 15, 2025, and has escalated over time, undermining public confidence in the institution and causing her personal and professional distress.
Mrs. Nelson further accused Wilberforce Asare of seeking the publication of the 2024 financial statements and allegedly requesting that she publicly credit the former administration or pay GH₵100,000 to halt further coverage, a demand she described as extortionate and unethical. She said these actions have subjected her and her family to undue public scrutiny, anxiety, and reputational harm.
The MIIF CEO’s petition seeks multiple actions from the Police, including summoning journalists for questioning, ordering the removal of false publications, issuing formal retractions, and investigating potential extortion or coordinated disinformation.
Separately, Mrs. Nelson has filed a defamation suit in court against three editors—Ken Kuranchie, Wilberforce Asare, and Daniel Bampoe—and six newspapers, including The Daily Searchlight, The Source, and The New Crusading Guide. She is seeking GH₵10 million in damages, a perpetual injunction preventing further defamatory publications, and formal retractions and apologies.
In her statement of claim, Mrs. Nelson contends that on November 26, 2025, the defendants published “libelous statements falsely alleging her involvement in financial mismanagement and coercion of the Auditor-General.” She claims the publications portrayed her as manufacturing figures, falsifying official records, and coercing state institutions—allegations she insists are untrue, malicious, and intended to damage her reputation.
“The defendants deliberately orchestrated the defamation campaign, knowing its falsity or recklessly disregarding the truth, with the intention of causing substantial reputational harm to me,” the statement reads.
The investigations and court proceedings are ongoing, with the media and public closely watching developments in what has become a high-profile legal and reputational battle involving Ghana’s key state fund.
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