Ghanaian musician involved in hoax shooting granted bail

By Enoch Fiifi Forson

ACCRA, Ghana (AA) - Ghanaian reggae-dancehall artiste Shatta Wale regained his freedom Tuesday after being granted self-recognizance bail by an Accra circuit court.

The controversial artist, whose real name is Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., was granted 100,000 Ghanaian cedis ($16,366) bail.

Shatta Wale was arrested on Oct. 20 over a hoax shooting incident.

The next day, he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of publishing false news and causing fear and panic.

Also in court were his accomplices Kojo Owusu Koranteng, Idris Yusif and Eric Venator. They all pleaded not guilty to the charge of abetment of crime.

They were remanded in custody and spent seven days at Ankaful Maximum Security Prison, where hardened criminals are noted to be kept.

Shatta Wale alongside his friends reappeared in court Tuesday. Fortunately for them, this time, their bail request was granted.

Shatta Wale’s case has been adjourned to Nov. 9.

On Oct. 18, the musician's three friends, who are part of his management team, took to social media to allege that Shatta Wale had been shot by gunmen.

But preliminary investigations by the Ghana police revealed that the attack was a hoax.

Following criticism from many Ghanaians, Shatta Wale tried to justify his stunt by blaming a Ghanaian pastor.

It is reported that Bishop Stephen Kwesi Appiah made a prophecy on a local radio station that Shatta Wale would be killed on Oct. 18.

Appiah was arrested and charged with causing fear and panic, which he denied.

He was released Monday after spending three days in police custody.

Meanwhile, Shatta Wale’s close friend in the music industry, Medikal, was also granted bail by the same court Tuesday.

The rapper, whose real name is Samuel Adu Frimpong, was arrested and remanded for five days for brandishing a weapon in a video he uploaded on social media.