Award-winning Ghanaian dancehall artist, Charles Nii Armah Mensah Jr., popularly known as Shatta Wale, has formally issued a retraction and public apology to Lawrence Nana Asiamah Hanson, known in entertainment circles as Bulldog, over statements he made in 2022 linking him to the murder of music producer Fennec Okyere.
In a statement dated April 30, 2025, and signed by Shatta Wale, the artist acknowledged that a series of posts he made on his social media pages on November 2, 2022, were based on a misunderstanding and have since been misconstrued.
The statements, which were interpreted as implicating Bulldog in the 2014 murder of Fennec Okyere, caused significant public uproar at the time.
“I wish to retract each of the statements in the said series of publications, as I did not mean to say that Mr. Hanson had a hand in the murder of Fennec Okyere,” Shatta Wale wrote in the statement.
He further acknowledged that the posts not only implied wrongdoing by Mr. Hanson but also cast aspersions on the moral and social conduct of other highly placed public figures. Shatta Wale expressed regret over the pain and reputational damage caused.
“I also wish to apologise to Mr. Hanson and all the persons whom my publications of November 2, 2022, have caused pain, agony, anguish, shame, ridicule, or hatred,” he added.
The apology comes amidst growing calls for accountability and responsible communication within the Ghanaian entertainment industry, especially from public figures with large platforms.
Bulldog, a prominent artiste manager and music executive, had publicly denied any involvement in the murder and had demanded legal redress following Shatta Wale’s allegations.
It remains unclear whether this public retraction will have any bearing on ongoing or concluded legal proceedings related to the matter.
Fennec Okyere, former manager of rapper Kwaw Kese, was tragically murdered in 2014 at his home in Accra. The case remains one of Ghana’s high-profile unsolved crimes.
