A self-styled prophet and marriage counselor has been granted bail in the sum of GH₵20,000 with three sureties—one to be justified—by the Dansoman Circuit Court after he was arraigned for allegedly publishing a false prophecy about the assassination of musician Shatta Wale.
Reverend Daniel Yaw Donkoh, also known as D.Y. Donkoh, appeared before the court presided over by Mrs. Halimah El-Alawa Abdul-Basit and pleaded not guilty to a charge of communication of false news.
The court further ordered the accused to report to the police every two weeks. The case has been adjourned to August 27, 2025, for Case Management Conference.
Lead counsel for the accused, Ebenezer Elorm Segbefia, urged the court to grant his client bail, describing him as a family man with four children and a known resident who poses no flight risk.
He said Donkoh is the founder of a church located at Israel, Tabora in Accra and had fully cooperated with investigators since his arrest on Friday.
According to Segbefia, the charges were based on mere allegations which the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt, stressing that his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty. He added that Donkoh had “men of substance” prepared to stand surety and appealed for flexible bail terms.
The prosecution, led by Chief Inspector Kwadwo Aboagye, did not oppose the bail application.
In presenting the brief facts, Chief Inspector Aboagye told the court that the complainant, Charles Nii Armah Junior, popularly known as Shatta Wale, is a musician and businessman residing in East Legon, Accra.
On July 21, 2025, Shatta Wale’s publicist, Samuel Baah Atuobi alias Sammy Flex, reported to the police that the musician and his management had seen a TikTok video posted by Donkoh a day earlier, in which he claimed to have seen a vision of Shatta Wale being assassinated by three armed men.
The viral video reportedly left the complainant traumatised and fearful for his life. Several attempts by police to contact Donkoh after the complaint were unsuccessful.
Four days later, on July 25, 2025, the police received intelligence that some of Shatta Wale’s supporters were planning to storm the pastor’s church in Tabora Alhaji in protest of the video. Officers quickly moved to the location to prevent any confrontation and invited the accused to assist in investigations.
During interrogation, Donkoh is said to have admitted to posting the video, claiming his intention was merely to capture Shatta Wale’s attention.
He was later charged and put before the court.
