A 45-year-old trader and self-styled prophetess, Ama Salifu, has been sentenced to five years in prison by the Asante Akropong Circuit Court in the Atwima Nwabiagya North District for stealing cash and personal belongings worth GH¢27,270 at Asante Abuakwa.

The sentence was handed down by Her Honour Gloria Mensah Bonsu after the accused pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and was convicted on her own plea, according to a report by the Ghana News Agency.

Presenting the facts, Police Chief Inspector Evans Ayimbisa told the court that the convict was a notorious confidence trickster who used false prophetic messages to defraud unsuspecting victims.

On April 17, 2025, Ama Salifu approached Josephina Owusuaa, near the Abuakwa SDA junction, pretending to have a divine revelation for her.

She instructed the victim to leave her bag—containing GH¢1,200 in cash and an iPhone XR valued at GH¢3,000—with a trader and proceed to the Abuakwa Shell Filling Station for “spiritual directions.”

When the victim returned, the supposed prophetess had vanished. The trader informed her that the woman had claimed to be her mother and had taken the bag.

The case was subsequently reported to the Abuakwa Police.

Chief Inspector Ayimbisa further revealed that in August 2025, the convict repeated the act, targeting a 16-year-old girl at the Abuakwa Market.

She convinced the girl that her mother was under spiritual attack and needed deliverance.

The girl led her home, where Salifu deceived her into handing over valuables worth GH¢20,000, including 29 new garments, two Kente cloths, two pairs of slippers, four pieces of wax prints, an iPhone 6s valued at GH¢900, and GH¢170 in cash, claiming she needed them for “intercessory prayers.”

After disappearing for months, she was arrested on October 13, 2025, at Abuakwa-Manhyia.

During interrogation, she admitted to the crime and confessed to selling the stolen items at Kumasi-Krofrom, though she failed to identify the buyer.

Following investigations, Ama Salifu was formally charged, convicted, and sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for theft.