The police have arrested and charged a pastor who allegedly exploited the death of a close friend by stealing his car, ATM card, and withdrawing thousands of cedis just days after the funeral announcement.
Wisdom Kwame Adu, 38, also known as Agya, was granted GH¢150,000 bail by the court with two sureties, one to be justified with landed property. He pleaded not guilty to stealing a Range Rover, GH¢27,000 in cash, and an Ecobank ATM card belonging to his late friend, Emmanuel Offei.
Investigators revealed that Adu, who lived at Korleyman near Medea, was a longtime friend of the deceased. In late May, he reportedly accompanied Offei to Kumasi for prayer purposes. Offei, who had earlier discharged himself from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, died on June 5 on church premises. Adu then informed the family of his death.
However, suspicion arose when Adu returned only Offei’s mobile phone but failed to account for the unregistered Range Rover and secretly held onto his ATM card. Between June 8 and 10, several withdrawals totaling GH¢27,000 were traced to ATMs in Kumasi and Pokuase-Amasaman.
Samuel Awuku Darko, the deceased’s elder brother, filed a complaint with the CID Headquarters after receiving multiple mobile alerts about the suspicious transactions. Police arrested Adu on June 17 and found GH¢35,356 and £40 during a search of his rented apartment.
The court has ordered Adu to reappear on July 14, 2025, as investigations continue. The body of the late Emmanuel Offei is currently being preserved at a private mortuary in Tinkong pending autopsy.
