Opinions of Sunday, 13 September 2015

Columnist: Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai

Beware of fraudulent priests and priestesses

For some time now people are getting defrauded in ways that beat my imagination. A serious study into the method used by the fraudsters show that most of those who fall for the fraudsters are greedy.

How can anyone convince me to part with Ghc10, 000 for that money to be doubled for me? Many people have been defrauded this way by fetish priests and priestesses who are very popular.

One such fetish priestess mentioned in this disgraceful activity is Nana Agrada also known as Patricia Asiedua who is said to have lured many young men and women who are eager to be rich overnight to part with their hard earned thousands of cedis.

According to scores of young men who got aggrieved and rushed to vision FM at Dome opposite the Saint John’s Secondary School, they followed advertisements run by Nana Agrada on radio and television stations promising people to call at her shrine at Sowutuom in Accra for help to get huge cash within a short time.

On getting there they are made to provide consultation fee of ghc 50 followed by payment of cash ranging from Ghc1, 000 upwards. In the end what the fetish priest does is to provide her clients with lotto numbers which turn out to be unreliable. On getting cheated most of her clients report her to police which often end up with her either getting spared or sent to court.

She herself has not learned any lessons from the humiliations she has gone through so far. Most people have also not stopped going to consult her for help to ‘get rich quick’ Nana Agrada was once arrested together with her accomplices for defrauding people to the tune of 58,000 in 2013 and put before the law court.

In view of the gravity of the matter the police through the Director General CID cautioned the general public to be cautious of the activities of persons who make wild promises of changing their fortunes, or use various methods to defraud them.

'The media are also advised to refrain from allowing their facilities to be used in perpetrating crimes,' he said.

I agree perfectly with him all those who get defrauded by the fetish priestess had themselves to blame. From now on, the advice I wish to give all men and women is that, do not fall for these tricksters . If you are a young man or woman get out there to seek knowledge to become technocrats or artisans.

This way you may get a job to do for a living. Any time you fall for these fraudulent priests and priestess or any mallam sitting in a room somewhere you would be heading towards trouble. These men are capable of deceiving you to empty your pockets of your own money or borrowed cash to enrich them.

The writer is the Executive Director of Eanfoworld for Sustainable Development P.O.BOX 17070AN 233244370345/23326370345/ 233208844791/0274853710