Ghana announced on Wednesday that it is investigating a man believed to be Russian after authorities said he secretly recorded women during sexual encounters and then posted the footage online without their consent, triggering public outrage. The investigation is focused on whether the reported conduct violated Ghanaian law and on securing evidence connected to the online publication, officials said.
Samuel Nartey George, Ghana’s minister for communications, told reporters in Accra that the government had taken steps to trace and secure relevant digital and financial evidence linked to the posting of the intimate videos. Ghana’s gender ministry said it was working with police on the case, including exploring cross-border cooperation to identify and locate the suspect, whom officials believe is currently outside Ghana.
Kenya’s gender minister, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, condemned what she described as secret filming and said the act would be investigated in collaboration with international authorities. Cheptumo said the secret filming amounted to exploitation and urged affected women to seek support through a toll-free helpline.
Authorities in both Ghana and Kenya said the suspect was allegedly recording and sharing explicit content on social media platforms without the consent of the women depicted. Kenya’s media previously reported on viral videos that allegedly show Kenyan victims, and Kenyan officials said the case involved cross-border aspects, according to the Ghana announcement.
Ghana’s foreign ministry said it called in Russia’s ambassador to formally convey the government’s position. In a statement, the ministry said it expressed “strong displeasure” over conduct it described as “atrocious” and said it “clearly violates Ghanaian law,” while also seeking Russia’s cooperation in pursuing justice.
The statement said Ambassador Sergei Berdnikov acknowledged “the violation of the privacy and dignity of the victims, and the larger cybercrime dimensions,” and expressed Russia’s willingness to cooperate with Ghanaian authorities. It also said Berdnikov indicated he was unable to confirm the suspect’s Russian nationality and that the purported name circulating in media was not a known Russian name, describing it instead as “an inappropriate or vulgar expression in the Russian language.”
The case has sparked debate on social media in Ghana, with calls for accountability and for stronger protections against digital sexual exploitation. Ghana said psychosocial and legal support for victims is being coordinated through confidential channels, including toll-free helplines for abuse survivors, while investigators work to trace the digital and financial trail connected to the footage.