‘Nana Agradaa’s 'sika gari' scam reflects a broken system – Adib Saani

Adib Saani, a security and foreign policy analyst has been assessing the impact of Patricia Asiedua a.k.a. Nana Agradaa's 'sika gari' schemes. According to him, her successful attempts at deceiving the public is evidence of broken systems which is fueled by the absence of strong security protocols to keep Agradaa's excesses in check. Speaking in an interview with JoyNews on Sunday, Saani explained ‘Nana Agradaa’ and her nefarious activities are very well known to the Police. He noted that the Police have consistently left her off the hook, is due to the lapses within the country’s security apparatus and the lawlessness in society. “Agradaa’s highfalutin is a result of a broken system. She is a reflection of a semi-lawless society. It is society that created her and it’s only society that can stop her. So I would blame everybody including us for what is going on. The blame shouldn’t be exclusive to the Police nor the victims,” Adib Saani said. He continued, “In fact, I don’t blame Agradaa. I don’t blame her much. Because she is only an opportunist who is exploiting loopholes in our norms, values and in our criminal justice system. I blame us also because people’s penchant for overnight riches, greed [and] gullible state of mind is what is accounting for this." “What has the Police done about her in the past? And I dare anyone to go to the Sowutuom Police station and ask for Agradaa’s files, and you’ll be amazed by the number of complaints that have been levelled against her at the Police station. Almost like a weekly ritual. But what has been done about it?" Saani quizzed. The security expert added, “And they know her, she knows them. At a point, people even go to the Police station and the Police is even able to anticipate that ‘I know you’re here because of Agradaa’. What has happened to them? Nana Appiah Mensah, Menzgold, is walking a free man but has destroyed many lives. So the system is broken and the only way out is to fix that system.” Background GhanaWeb had earlier reported that some people showed in their numbers at the church of the ‘confidence trickster’ because the repented priestess had earlier advertised through her television channel, Thunder TV, that she was going to give out monies to people. She is also said to have advertised that she would double monies that are brought to her church, Heavenway Champion International Ministry, on the day. However, as has been typical of her, particularly from the days when she was a fetish priestess, it seems the evangelist only played on the gullibility of the scores of people who appeared at her church to extort monies from them. When she was done, as has been shared in a number of the videos available to GhanaWeb, she booted them out of the building, aided by her well-built bodyguards. A number of the affected people are also heard ranting and calling her out. “This is Agradaa’s church, Heavenway, and she advertised on her TV station that she was going to share monies with everyone only for us to get here, and she rather collects monies from people. She told people to bring ten million (GHC10,000) and come for two billion (GHC200,000) after which she asked people to leave the church. Things immediately turned chaotic here,” a lady giving voice commentary in one of the videos said. Meanwhile, the Police have arrested Patricia Asiedua, alias ‘Nana Agradaa’ following the allegations of a money-doubling scam levelled against her by some members of the public. The suspect is currently assisting the Police with the investigation. In a statement issued on October 9, 2022, the Police said, “Anyone who is a victim of the alleged money doubling scam should report to the Accra Regional Police Command for further action and to assist in the investigation”. Watch some of the videos below: