Retired Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) newscaster Selma Ramatu Al-Hassan has sued media personality Captain Smart and Media General Ghana Limited, the proprietors of Onua Television, for defamation before the High Court in Accra, requesting GH¢10 million in damages.

The lawsuit was filed on January 28, 2026, in response to purported remarks made by Captain Smart on November 28, 2025, during a television broadcast. The plaintiff alleges that these remarks were intentional, false, and detrimental to her reputation.

The broadcast accused Selma Al-Hassan of having an extramarital child with the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, according to court filings. She claims that the remarks implied that she had an unlawful, adulterous, and immoral connection with the former president, leading to the birth of a child.

The plaintiff contends that the show was posted to Onua TV's website and extensively shared on electronic and social media platforms. She claims that the online interaction sparked a barrage of derogatory remarks from the general public, with some social media users purportedly calling her a home-breaking, immoral woman.

Selma Al-Hassan asserts in her statement of claim that the publishing exposed her to public mockery, disdain, and condemnation and seriously harmed her reputation and social position both domestically and abroad.

She goes on to say that the broadcast brought back terrible memories of her only child from her lawful marriage to the late Alhaji Tijani Nagaya, who died in 2004. She claimed that the accusations were not only false but also extremely upsetting and detrimental to her dignity.

The first defendant in the case is Blessed Godsbrain Smart, also referred to as Captain Smart; the second defendant is Onua Television's CEO; the third defendant is Onua Television; and the fourth defendant is Media General Ghana Limited.

Selma Al-Hassan is charging the defendants of acting maliciously, claiming that they failed to stop false content from trending on social media despite its defamatory character, knowingly allowed it to air, and purposefully allowed it to remain online.

She is requesting that the court find the broadcast to be defamatory and issue a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants from disseminating or publishing similar material in the future.

Additionally, she is requesting three separate orders requiring the defendants to withdraw the broadcast and publicly apologize on radio, television, and the internet with the same prominence as the initial publication.

The plaintiff is also requesting GH¢10 million in punitive damages for defamation in addition to legal expenses, including lawyers' fees.

The defendants have been ordered by the High Court to attend within eight days of receiving the writ; otherwise, a judgment may be rendered against them while they are not present.