Fake Spiritualist Jailed Three Years for GH¢95,100 Fraud
Nana Adwoa Yamoah convicted for deceiving victim with false chieftaincy and money-doubling claims
An Accra Circuit Court has sentenced a 35-year-old self-styled spiritualist, Nana Adwoa Yamoah, to three years’ imprisonment for defrauding a man of GH¢95,100.
Yamoah, who operated in Teshie, Accra, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding by false pretences and practising without registration and a licence.
Prosecuting, Assistant Superintendent of Police Augustine Kingsley Oppong told the court, presided over by Dennis Eyram Fumey, that the complainant, Douglas Abu, is unemployed and resides at Ntotroso in the Ashanti Region.
The court heard that in 2025, a witness introduced Abu to Yamoah, who claimed to be a spiritualist with connections to the Asantehene and promised to facilitate his enstoolment as chief of Ntotroso.
Relying on these claims, Abu paid various sums of money to her, believing he would be installed as chief by January.
Prosecution further revealed that Yamoah collected GH¢51,000 from Abu under the pretext of doubling the amount but failed to deliver on the promise.
She also convinced him to travel with her to Benin for what she described as spiritual fortification at his expense, but no such exercise took place.
According to the prosecution, Abu later became suspicious and demanded a refund, which Yamoah failed to provide, leading to a police report and her subsequent arrest on March 9, 2026.
Investigations established that Yamoah was not registered with the Traditional Medicine Practice Council and had used similar methods to defraud others.
The court convicted her on her own plea. Sentencing was initially deferred pending a pregnancy test, which returned negative, after which she was handed a three-year custodial sentence.
