Crime & Punishment of Thursday, 3 November 2005

Source: Ghanaian Chronicle

Jailbreak At Sekondi Central Prison

Both the Sekondi Central prison and the regional command of the Ghana Police Service have begun full-scale investigations into the circumstances that led to the escape of two armed robbers serving various jail terms at the prison.

Information reaching The Chronicle bureau in Takoradi indicates that the two armed robbers escaped from the Sekondi Central prison on Sunday October 23, this year.

The prison authorities, with the help of the police, managed to arrest one of them later.

He would be put before court soon to face charges of escaping from lawful custody.

The whereabouts of the second convict said to be a Nigerian and serving 40 years imprisonment for armed robbery are still not known.

Chronicle was told that prior to their escape the armed robbers serving their jail term made several times to escape but in each occasion they were arrested or spotted by the prison authorities.

When this reporter contacted the authorities at the Sekondi Central prison to verify the authenticity of the report, a source that spoke to the reporter confirmed that indeed the convicts had escaped from lawful custody and that one of them had been captured and brought back to the prison.

The source said they are carrying out internal investigations into how the armed robbers managed to escape.

The source further said the prison authorities had dully informed the police about the escape of the convicted armed robbers who are also conducting their own investigations into the case.

When asked to disclose the names of the escapees the source noted that since the case had been reported to the police it would be better for the reporter to contact them for the details.

When Chronicle contacted the regional police command also in Sekondi for the details as directed, the regional commander, Mr. K. D. Arthur confirmed that indeed a case of that nature had been reported to them by the prison authorities.

Mr. Arthur however told the Chronicle that it was too early for the police to give information about the case to the press.

He said they have just begun investigation into the case so to release details of it to the press would not help them.

Mr. Arthur assured this reporter that as soon as they completed their investigations the name of the convict who is the run and how he and the other one who had been captured escaped from the prison would be made available to the press.