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Tabloid News of Monday, 24 September 2001

Source: william a. asiedu

EX-CONVICT AT IT AGAIN

Barely 24 hours after being set free from jail, an unemployed young man, Richard Akisu, embarked on another unholy expedition, this time to the house of God.

Akisu who was said to have been released from prison on Saturday, September 8, joined other worshippers at the Apostolic Faith Mission International (AFMI), near Odorkor, Accra, the following day, Sunday, September 9, at about 1 pm, and allegedly stole money totalling about ?100,000 from a lady’s hand-bag.

He was immediately arrested by some members of the congregation and handed over to the General Overseer of the church, Apostle de-Graft Osei Kwame, who prayed for him, gave him an amount of ?30,000 and asked him to go and sin no more.

According to a source close to the church, just as Akisu was about to leave, more drama was to unfold when some prison officers who had been invited by the church to receive some donated items on behalf of prisoners, identified Akisu as an ex-convict who had been released from jail the previous day.

Apostle Osei Kwame told The Mirror that he decided not to hand over Akisu to the police because while praying for him he saw some demons around him and that he believed they had pushed Akisu to commit the crime.

He said his church organised a seminar to promote good marriage relations among its members and had invited the prison officers to receive some items for prisoners as part of activities to climax the programme.

He said after the normal church service there was a short break while the congregation was waiting for the prison officers so one of the deaconesses moved away from her pew only to come back to see Akisu with the bag in his hands and the money taken out.

Apostle Osei Kwame said the actions of Akisu were too daring and that he believed he had not done that out of sheer criminal intent but was under the influence of the devil.