Over 1000 people with disability (PWD) have allegedly been defrauded by the Rev. T.A Topper II Foundation (RTATF), a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) based in Koforidua and led by Matilda Topper.

The Eastern Regional branch of the Ghana Society of the Physically Disabled (GSPD) has, therefore, appealed to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to help them to collect the monies they paid as registration fees to the NGO and their passport pictures.

According to Daniel Agyekum, the Eastern Regional Chairman of GSPD, RTATF promised to provide wheelchairs, foodstuffs, money, clothes and free vocational training to PWD in the region if they register with them.  

Many people with disability from different parts of the region numbering over 1,000 registered with the NGO and paid a registration fee of ¢10.00 each with two passport size pictures at the cost of ¢5.00.

The chairman said people who registered with the NGO were also made to buy a customized T-Shirt of RTATF at a cost of ¢20.00. 

Mr Agyekum said he mobilized over 1000 members of his organization to register with the NGO in addition to people from other disable organisations in the Eastern Region.

He said Ms Topper urged all those who registered with her NGO to meet at Jackson Park at Koforidua on September 27 this year to collect their parcels.

Mr Agyekun said on the given date, many people with disabilities came to Jackson Park and waited in the rain for their parcels but Ms Topper failed to honour her promise. 

The Chairman said the people with disability who were at the Jackson park want a refund of their registration fees and passport pictures.

A victim of the fraud, Kwame Kusi said, he borrowed ¢50.00 from a friend to travel from Akim Oda to Koforidua hoping to receive something from the NGO.

But said he ended up having to go to the roadside to beg for money to repay his debt and threaten to curse Ms Topper for taking advantage of them. 

Reacting to the demands of the PWD Ms Topper said, she had a good package for the new members of her organisation which include a vocational training for their children with monthly allowance and wheelchairs but their rude action on the meeting day made her not to present the parcels that she promised them.  

Ms Topper said she spent the registration fees to rent a hotel for about six people who arrived in Koforidua a day before the scheduled date of the meeting, renting of canopies and a bus for float and therefore had no money to pay back to the persons with disability who she regards as new members of her organization.

She said she was on her way to Atwia mountains in Ashanti Region for a one week fasting and prayers for divine ideas on how to re-organized the program to give her support to the people with disabilities in the region.

When the issue was reported to the Koforidua Central Police Station, the Police claimed that they could not identify any crime in the relations between Ms Topper and the persons with disability.