Dancehall artiste, Charles Nii Armah Mensah, known in show business as Shatta Wale, has pleaded guilty for faking his death in October 2021.
He has subsequently been fined two thousand Ghana cedis (Ghc 2,000.00) in default of which he will be imprisoned for three (3) months.
This was after he changed his plea from not guilty to guilty before His Worship, Emmanuel Essandoh of the Circuit Court 4.
The controversial artiste was brought before the Court for publishing on social media, a prophecy of death which he claimed was about him.
His lawyer, Jerry Avenogbor, told the Court that he was a first-time offender who was remorseful of the act. The prosecution, on the other hand, led by ASP Maxwell Oppong did not oppose the change in plea.
The shooting prophecy
On September 28, 2021, a prophet called Jesus Ahuofe in a radio interview on Accra FM said that it had been revealed to him that a renowned dancehall artiste whose name starts with ‘Charles’ would be shot dead on October 18, 2021.
The prophet had made reference to how South African reggae icon Lucky Dube was shot dead and added that a similar thing would happen to the dancehall artiste he prophesied about.
He, therefore, asked that the artistes should seek spiritual protection to avert the murder.
Shatta Wale’s response to the Prophecy
When the story about the prophecy broke, Shatta Wale made a comment on social media that was taken in jest by a lot of people.
He wrote, “Ok I hear, I will buy bulletproof and commando dress. Thank you for seeing that Sadiq wants to shoot at me in October.”
Shatta Wale made the statement in reference to a rift he had with Abu Sadiq, who is the Chief Executive Officer of 3Music Awards.
When social media was inundated with gunshot rumours
On the evening of Monday, October 18, 2021, Ghana’s social media space was flooded with posts suggesting that Shatta Wale had been shot by some gunmen at East Legon.
The posts originally made on Facebook and Snapchat by Nana Dope, Gangee, and Ras Deportee also mentioned that the artiste was shot while in the rain.
In one of Nana Dope’s posts, he asked Shatta’s fans to pray for him.
They said his condition was so serious that he had been admitted to a hospital.
Police issues first statement
At failed attempts by the media and other interested parties to ascertain the verity of the claims, an official statement was released by the Ghana Police Service.
According to the Police, they had gone to Shatta Wale’s house but could not find him. They had also not recorded any such incident on the said day.
Shatta Wale remanded into police custody
On Thursday, October 21, 2021, Shatta Wale and the three other accomplices were remanded into police custody for a week.
They were remanded by an Accra Circuit Court during their first appearance in court.
A fourth accomplice who is also a member of Wale’s crew was arrested on Wednesday, October 20, 2021.
After his release from the Ankaful prison, Shatta Wale said he had learned lessons from his action, noting that he had realised that the laws of the land really work.
He said he has learned to be more disciplined than he has ever been.
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By: Kwame Dadzie | Ghana Weekend
