Nana Agradaa reflects on prison experience: “prayer and faith sustained me”

Popular evangelist and former traditional priestess Patricia Asiedua Asiamah, widely known as Nana Agradaa, has spoken publicly for the first time since her release from prison, describing her time in custody as a deeply spiritual journey anchored in prayer and faith.

Released on March 3 under Ghana’s remission scheme, which allows eligible inmates to receive sentence reductions for good behaviour, Agradaa recounted the fear and uncertainty she felt when first entering prison.

“On my way to prison, I felt as though I was going there to die,” she said in Twi. “When I got to the prison gate, the only thing I said was, ‘Lord, I surrender myself to You,’ because I did not know what awaited me inside. I asked Him to have mercy on me, held my Bible, and walked in.”

Agradaa revealed that hearing she had been sentenced to 15 years was overwhelming. “When they mentioned 15 years, I could not accept it. I kept asking myself, ‘What have I done to deserve this?’” she explained.

She said she turned to scripture for strength, drawing inspiration from biblical accounts of imprisonment and divine deliverance, including the stories of Peter, Paul and Silas, Jonah, and King Nebuchadnezzar. “These stories strengthened my faith. When you face problems in life, it is only prayer and the Word of God that can bring deliverance.”

Agradaa emphasized that her reliance on prayer was not only about survival but also about transformation. She vowed to dedicate herself fully to God’s service if He showed her mercy. “If You are the God yesterday, today, and forever, then what You did for Your people in the past, do the same for me now,” she recounted.

Her release was made possible through Ghana’s remission scheme, which permits reductions of up to one-third of a sentence for inmates who demonstrate good behaviour. Agradaa said she views her freedom as divine intervention, crediting her faith for sustaining her through the ordeal.