‘I used to steal to fund my drug use’ – Timothy Bentum recounts

Ghanaian actor turned-reverend minister and founder of Grace Avenue, Timothy Bentum, has recounted how he resorted to stealing to fund his drug use during a difficult period of his life.

Speaking in an interview with George Quaye on Joy Prime on September 23, 2026, Bentum mentioned that he did not come from a wealthy background and therefore had to find other means to finance his drug use.

According to him, there were several occasions when he stole from unsuspecting people, including an incident involving a woman on a trotro.

“It’s scary because I was not from a very wealthy home. It’s not that my dad or mom had money,” he said.

Bentum recalled that while working as a data entry clerk in Tema, he once sat next to a woman on a trotro who had her purse in the pocket of her jacket and was asleep.

He said he took the purse and alerted the conductor that he would alight at the next stop.

“I remember one of the days, down the road where Sony FM is now, I used to be a data entry clerk in Tema and I was in a trotro coming to Accra. I sat next to a lady as she had her purse in her jacket pocket and she was sleeping.

“I took her purse out and alerted the conductor that I would alight at the next stop. People get killed for stuff like this, so imagine as I was taking it and she held my hand,” he recounted.

‘I smoked weed for about five years’ - Timothy Bentum recounts

Bentum shared that he eventually got down from the vehicle, went to a ghetto area and used the proceeds to support his drug habit.

“I got down from the car, went to the ghetto and did what I had to do. So there were many instances like that,” he stated.

However, years later, Bentum said he experienced what he considers a significant spiritual turning point at the same location where he had committed the theft.

He recalled that about six years ago, he was driving with his wife when they encountered a man who had suffered what appeared to be an epileptic seizure and was repeatedly hitting his head against the pavement.

Bentum noted that he asked his wife to allow him to park so he could pray for the man.

“Six years ago, at the same spot where I stole the purse and got out of the trotro, I was with my wife and I saw a gentleman who had an epileptic seizure. He was hitting his head on the pavement, so I told my wife that I wanted to park and pray for him. I went there, prayed for him and after a few seconds, he was asleep,” he said.

As he walked back to his car after praying for the man, Bentum revealed that he heard what he described as a loud voice asking him a question that immediately reminded him of his past.

For Bentum, the incident served as a powerful reminder of how much his life had changed from the period when he was using drugs and stealing to fund the habit.

“Just when I left the guy, walking to the car, it was like a loud voice asking me, ‘Do you remember this place?’ It was the place where God just worked this wonderful miracle,” he recounted.

Wow! Ps. Timothy Bentum reveals he used to steal to fund his drug use, yet the very place he stole from became a place where God later used him to heal someone. What a testimony. 🙏🏾❤️

Watch #primetime here: https://t.co/heV0lBgwxS pic.twitter.com/7tSGgEt44C

— Joy Prime (@JoyPrimeTV) September 23, 2026

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