|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Claim: A viral image circulating on Facebook purports to show broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah receiving treatment in a hospital following injuries he sustained after his arrest in the Ashanti Region.
Verdict: False! The viral image is AI-generated. Hive Moderation rated it as 99.9 per cent AI-generated, while DUBAWA found several inconsistencies between the viral image and authentic photographs taken during Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah’s hospitalisation.
Full Text
A viral image purportedly showing broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah receiving treatment at the Asante Mampong Government Hospital has been circulating on Facebook following reports that he sustained injuries after his arrest in the Ashanti Region.
DUBAWA found that the image was shared by several Facebook pages, attracting hundreds of reactions, comments and shares.
One of the earliest posts reviewed by DUBAWA was published by Ezra Radio on July 13, 2026, with the caption: “Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah has been hospitalised at the Asante Mampong Government Hospital.”
At the time of filing this report, the post had garnered 265 reactions, 57 comments and three shares.
The same image was also shared by Political Hazard on July 12, 2026, accompanied by the caption: “JUST-IN: Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah has been hospitalised at the Asante Mampong Government Hospital.”
That post attracted 96 reactions, 22 comments, and three shares at the time DUBAWA reviewed it.
Another Facebook user, Adom Best, also shared the image alongside a collage relating to the incident. The post generated 236 reactions, 53 comments and 10 shares, with some users accepting the image as genuine while others questioned whether it had been created using artificial intelligence.
The posts began circulating shortly after news reports confirmed that Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah had sustained a head injury during a confrontation with police officers in the Ashanti Region and had been admitted to the Asante Mampong Government Hospital for treatment. Because the image appeared at a time when the broadcaster was indeed receiving medical care, many social media users believed it was an authentic hospital photograph.
Several commenters expressed sympathy and wished him a speedy recovery, while others accepted the image without questioning its authenticity.
However, some users noticed unusual features in the photograph and suggested it might have been generated using artificial intelligence.
The widespread circulation of the image across multiple Facebook pages and the significant engagement it attracted prompted DUBAWA to verify whether the photograph genuinely depicted Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah during his hospitalisation.
Verification
DUBAWA analysed the viral image using Hive Moderation’s AI detection tool, which rated it 99.9 per cent likely to be AI-generated. The detector further indicated a 95 per cent likelihood that the image was generated using Google’s Gemini AI model.
Further examination of the image also reveals what appears to be a Gemini watermark in the bottom-right corner, suggesting it was created using Google’s AI image-generation tool.
Beyond AI detection, DUBAWA compared the viral image with authentic photographs of Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah taken before, during and after his hospitalisation.
Ring inconsistency
In the viral image, Okatakyie appears to be wearing a gold wedding band on the ring finger of his left hand.
However, authentic photographs taken before the incident consistently show him wearing a ring on the pinky finger of his left hand with none on his ring finger.
For instance, photographs taken after he was transferred to the Mampong Divisional Police Headquarters following his arrest clearly show the distinctive pinky ring.
Another photograph taken when he arrived in Afigya Sekyere East on July 11, 2026, while dressed in military camouflage, also shows the same ring on his left pinky finger.
Watch inconsistency
The viral image also depicts Okatakyie wearing a gold wristwatch while lying in the hospital bed.
However, photographs taken during his hospitalisation, including those showing Lawyer Jerry Ahmed Shaib visiting him, do not show him wearing either a wristwatch or any jewellery.
This suggests the accessories seen in the viral image do not match those in verified photographs from the hospital.
Clothing inconsistency
The viral image shows Okatakyie wearing a light-blue hospital gown.
However, authentic photographs taken during and after his treatment show him in different clothing. At no point in the verified images released after the incident was he seen wearing the blue gown depicted in the viral photograph.
Hospital setting differs
DUBAWA also compared the hospital environment shown in the viral image with authentic photographs released after the broadcaster received medical treatment.
The hospital bed, room layout, lighting, painting, monitoring equipment and surrounding environment in the viral image differ noticeably from those in genuine photographs taken during his admission.
No credible publication used the image
The broadcaster’s arrest and subsequent hospitalisation were widely reported by Ghanaian media.
Despite the extensive coverage, DUBAWA found no credible media organisation that published the viral image as part of its reporting. Instead, news reports relied on authentic photographs taken during his treatment.
Conclusion
The viral image claiming to show broadcaster Okatakyie Afrifa-Mensah receiving treatment after sustaining injuries during his recent arrest is false.
