Introduction

Reports emerged on Thursday, July 3, 2025, indicating the conviction of fake traditional priestess, Nana Agradaa, now known as Patricia Asiedua, founder of Heaven Way Church. Indeed, I was not only astonished by what I saw, but I also questioned the credibility of the source, given that it did not originate from a traditional media outlet.

In an effort to satiate my curiosity and verify the accuracy of the news I had read earlier, I thoroughly searched various traditional news websites, but was unable to find the Agradaa story regarding her sentencing. Upon conducting a subsequent search later that evening, I stumbled upon the headline, "Nana Agradaa jailed 15 years with hard labour for money-doubling scam" on gbconline.com. Together with what I had read already, I was convinced about the story - not one of those sensational stories without substance, but an accurate and reliable report.

Background

According to portions of Kumah's 2025 report, as cited on gbconline.com, Patricia Asiedua, also known as Nana Agradaa, the repentant priestess and founder of Heaven Way Church, has been sentenced to 15 years imprisonment with hard labour by an Accra Circuit Court, having been convicted of charlatanic advertisement and defrauding by false pretence.



It has been reported that Agradaa was apprehended in October 2022 following multiple allegations of operating a money-doubling scam. The complaints alleged that she not only solicited and received various sums of money from her victims, but also failed to fulfill her promise of multiplying those amounts for them.



Facts of the case.



The facts of the case are that on October 5, 2022, Agradaa solicited unsuspecting believers with a televised and social media advertisement on October 7, 2022, promising to distribute ¢300,000 to needy attendees as financial support for rent or business start-ups during an all-night service, but that never occurred.

On the said date of the all-night service, large crowds flocked to her church, hoping to receive money that had received transcendental blessings, either to experience an abundance of turnaround in their start-up businesses or to address some domestic needs. Incidentally, in our part of the world with inadequate social support systems, coupled with financial difficulties, people generally require assistance, which is why large crowds attended her service.

Agradaa, being a cunning scammer, deceived the congregants by instructing them to form groups of 20, with each person paying amounts of up to GH¢1,000 and ¢900, and subsequently promised them an amount of ¢50,000 and ¢40,000 respectively to share. After the church service, she unceremoniously absconded with the money without saying a word to the expectant congregants.

Patricia Asiedua, popularly called Nana Agradaa, was a well-known traditional priestess who allegedly claimed to have the power to double money. These chalatanic exploits were openly displayed on television with reckless abandon, and nothing has happened to her to date.

Interestingly, after several years of practicing as a purported traditional priestess, now turned evangelist, some credulous individuals in Ghana believed in such a character and attended her church; to me, that is highly surprising and preposterous to imagine.

Agradaa's personality is not only nauseating, but also anathema to the character and generally acceptable demeanor of religious leaders. She insults anyone who crosses her path, flaunts her wealth to the public as if money grows on trees, and yet has followers.

The challenge I have had with these events over the years and the questions that require clarification are:
1. Is it permissible for an individual to publicly promote a double money scheme on television and remain at liberty, as Agradaa has done?

2. What is the current legal stance on money doubling schemes being advertised on television?

3. Are law enforcement agencies asserting that they have not observed Agradaa's deceptive activities over the years?

4. If Agradaa were not to be taken to court, would it imply that she had been evading accountability and depriving individuals of their wealth?

Caution and conclusions

As Agradaa's debacle unfolds and her initial failure to acknowledge the wrongfulness of her actions culminates in her ignoble and ignominious downfall in a rather bizarre manner, this is not an outcome she anticipated, otherwise she would have exercised greater restraint in her public outbursts.

Let this serve as a warning and a rallying call to all Pastors, Imams, Prophets, and other spiritual leaders across the country to recognize that while some individuals can be deceived some of the time, others can be deceived all the time, but it is not possible to deceive everyone all the time.

Most Ghanaians exhibit a high level of religiosity, which has enabled some religious leaders to exploit and take their congregants for granted. It is said that coming events cast their shadows, and Agradaa's incarceration should serve as a deterrent to those misappropriating funds from unsuspecting Ghanaians in the name of the Lord.

May it be acknowledged and recorded that no individual should exploit religion as a pretext to deceive others, and may more Ghanaians be empowered to help eliminate such spiritual impostors from our midst.