The name Evangelist Mama Patricia — once feared as Maame Agartala the priestess, later adored as Osofo Agradaa the preacher — has never left Ghana’s headlines. Now, she may be on the brink of yet another dramatic chapter in her turbulent life.
Insiders whisper that President John Dramani Mahama is considering a presidential pardon that could open the prison doors for Agradaa, who has spent months behind bars on fraud charges. For her supporters, the possibility of release is nothing short of divine mercy. For her critics, it feels like history repeating itself — the powerful escaping punishment while the poor languish in cells.
Agradaa’s life has always been a storm. Once a shrine priestess, she built an empire on “sika gari” money rituals, a practice that drew both desperate followers and angry skeptics. In 2021, she shocked the nation by burning her idols and declaring herself born again, embracing the pulpit with tears and trembling. Many hailed her conversion as redemption, but others warned it was only another mask.
The state came after her again in 2022 and 2023 with a flurry of fraud cases. Victims told heartbreaking stories of selling their possessions, chasing promises of financial miracles that never came. When she was finally convicted in early 2025, some wept with relief, while others cried injustice, convinced their mother, their prophetess, was being persecuted.
But Ghana has seen this before. Presidential pardons have often been the spark for national debate — from Rawlings’ mercy to political prisoners, to Akufo-Addo’s dramatic release of musicians Shatta Wale and Medikal in 2022. Each time, the nation split: mercy versus justice, compassion versus accountability.
Now, history may turn once again. If Mahama signs the papers, Agradaa will walk free. The question that hangs in the air, heavy and emotional, is this: is Ghana ready to forgive Agradaa, or will her release reopen old wounds of betrayal and pain?
