Minister for Communications, Digital Technology and Innovation, Sam Nartey George, has disclosed that he came close to ordering a nationwide internet shutdown in the wake of the August 6 military helicopter crash to stop the spread of disturbing videos of the tragedy.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Mr. George described the period as “a mixed experience,” praising telecom operators MTN, Telecel, and AirtelTigo for their swift cooperation during the crisis.
“When the incident happened, I was distraught, but we still had a responsibility to the state,” he said. “I got a call with the videos that started circulating. The unfortunate situation is most of them were circulating on WhatsApp, and WhatsApp is a platform not controlled by any country it’s a private business.”
Mr. George said the government faced two difficult choices: shut down the internet to prevent the videos from reaching victims’ families before official notifications, or leave it running and risk further emotional harm.
“I was worried about the mental health of the children and spouses of the victims,” he explained. “Such tragedy needs to be broken in a certain way.”
Ultimately, the Minister decided against the shutdown, citing its potential to cause wider disruption. “You could have a ripple effect that would actually be worse than what you were trying to fix,” he noted.
Instead, Mr. George initiated urgent coordination with both international and local partners. He contacted Meta executives directly to request action on WhatsApp content and instructed the National Communications Authority (NCA) to liaise with telecom CEOs.
“We sent out about 30 million text messages within two hours, and the telecom companies bore the cost,” he revealed. “All the restraint messages from the Ministry were fully funded by the operators themselves.”
The August 6 crash claimed the lives of eight people, including Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed, when a Z-9 helicopter went off radar en route to Obuasi for an anti-illegal mining mission.
