Theresa Ayoade, the Chief Executive Officer of Charterhouse, the organisers of Vodafone Ghana Music Awards, has assured the general public that there will be tighter security detail at this year’s award ceremony.
Last year, the event was disrupted by an altercation that ensued between dancehall acts Stonebwoy and Shatta Wale.
While Stonebwoy mounted the stage to receive the Reggae/Dancehall Artiste of the Year award with his entourage, his arch-rival, Shatta Wale also joined him on stage with some of his fans.
In their bid to get Shatta and his fans off the stage, a scuffle ensued and Stonebwoy pulled a gun.
This incident brought to the fore what went into the security checks at the entrance before patrons were allowed into the auditorium.
Speaking to the media at the Swiss Spirit Hotel in Accra on Thursday, Theresa said even though they had security at the venue, they have made provisions for stringent security checks this year.
“Last year, we used the hand-held scanners. We did not use the full-body scanners. But now all the rest are going to be rolled out. We’re going to have bag scanners, body scanners, we will scan you till you are tired,” she quipped.
“Now we are all of a heightened sense of security and we feel we should do that. It’s good for all of us. We need to ensure the safety of all our patrons. So subsequently if you come for the event, we ask you to remove your shoes, open your bands, stretch your arms, you know we’ll do all of that so bear with us,” Theresa added.
Shatta Wale and Stonbwoy were penalised after the incident at last year’s awards ceremony. The Board of the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards stripped them off the awards they won on the night and also placed an indefinite ban on them from the scheme.
The two subsequently held a press conference to announce that they had buried their differences.
In the meantime, the case is still in court.
Nominations for this year’s Vodafone Ghana Music Awards are opened till January 31, 2020.