When the viral news of a so-called Russian sex fugitive broke, Ghana erupted in outrage. Social media burned. Radio phone-ins exploded. Television panels demanded justice. The foreigner became public enemy number one. But in our collective fury, we ignored a far more uncomfortable truth: the danger to Ghana’s women and public health is not only imported. It is also homegrown.
If we are honest, the crisis did not begin with one foreign man. It began with a culture of silence, hypocrisy, and sexual recklessness that we have normalised for decades.
The loudest voices after the Russian sexcapade scandal focused almost exclusively on condemning the alleged foreigner for infiltrating Ghana’s borders and exploiting our women. That outrage is justified. But outrage without introspection is dangerous.
Who is truly responsible for the steady erosion of sexual responsibility in Ghana? Is it only foreigners who boast online? Or also the Ghanaian men who quietly return from America, Canada, Europe, and Asia, leaving their wives abroad, only to engage in reckless sexual adventures at home?
The Russian fugitive’s greatest crime, ironically, is not just what he allegedly did but that he exposed it. Because he published his actions, victims could be identified. Conversations began. The nation became alert. Health interventions suddenly became possible.
But what about the Ghanaian boga who sleeps with ten women in two weeks and flies back abroad? Who tracks his contacts? Who traces his partners? Who warns his unsuspecting wife overseas?
None.
We pretend this problem does not exist because it wears a familiar face. Let us recall the disturbing Obuasi incident where a Ghanaian resident abroad allegedly had an affair with a policewoman during a visit home. When the woman later attempted to contact him, she was warned off by the man’s wife. Out of anger and humiliation, the policewoman sent nude materials meant for the man, but mistakenly delivered them to the wife. The materials leaked online, causing nationwide embarrassment.
That scandal should have served as a national wake-up call.
Instead, we shrugged and moved on.
Today, a new phenomenon has emerged. The normalisation of the “side chick” culture. Some unmarried women deliberately target married men, seeing broken homes as trophies. Some boast openly about taking husbands from their wives. Fidelity has become a mockery. Commitment has become a weakness.
Even more frightening is how spirituality is being manipulated to justify recklessness.
One alleged victim reportedly claimed she approached the Russian fugitive because a pastor prophesied she would marry a white man. Think about that.
When prophecy begins to guide people toward sexual strangers rather than moral discipline, then something is fundamentally broken. Another victim allegedly praised the fugitive’s sexual performance on tape. Not with shame. Not with regret. But with pride. Yet many of these women reportedly have husbands, fiancés, or serious partners.
So, let us ask the painful question:
Who betrayed whom first?
The foreigner exploited vulnerability. But vulnerability existed long before he arrived.
This is not a defence of the alleged Russian perpetrator, far from it. What he allegedly did is criminal, immoral, and dangerous. But Ghana must resist the temptation to scapegoat a single villain while ignoring the systemic rot.
The truth is this: if a society did not already have a deep sexual discipline problem, no foreigner could allegedly sleep with hundreds of women so easily. This is why the issue transcends gossip. It transcends scandal. It transcends morality.
It is a public health emergency.
When a foreign national allegedly boasts of unprotected sex with hundreds of women, the matter becomes a potential biological disaster.
We have been here before.
COVID-19 started as a distant headline. Many laughed. Many doubted. Many delayed actions. Soon, nations were locked down. Economies collapsed. Graves multiplied. HIV/AIDS follows a similar silent path. If even a fraction of these allegations is true, Ghana may already be sitting on a slow-burning public health bomb.
One infected person can infect dozens. Dozens can infect hundreds. Hundreds can infect thousands. That is how epidemics are born. This is why I make a humble but urgent appeal to the President of the Republic.
Mr. President,
This is not the time for political caution.
This is not the time for silence.
This is a defining moment for decisive leadership.
I respectfully call on Your Excellency to treat the so-called “Russian Sexcapade” not as rumour, but as a potential national emergency.
Ghana needs immediate, coordinated state action:
A high-level investigation into the identity, movements, and activities of the alleged foreign national.
Emergency confidential testing, screening, and contact tracing for potential victims.
Trauma counselling and medical support services.
Nationwide public education on sexual responsibility and disease prevention.
Stronger border surveillance and immigration screening.
Mr President, this matter is bigger than shame. It is about life. It is about survival.
HIV/AIDS carries what many describe as the four Ds:
Disease.
Disgrace.
Destruction.
Death.
History will not remember how loudly we condemned a foreigner. History will remember whether we protected our people. Russian sexcapade or Ghanaian hypocrisy? Perhaps the uncomfortable truth is this: The greatest danger is not the stranger at the gate. It is the rot we refuse to confront within.
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