The Nsawam Medium Security Prison has been locked-down following an alleged attempt by the notorious criminal, Johnson Kombian, and two others to break jail late Sunday, deep throat sources told 3News. Kombian, who is currently on a death sentence for killing two police officers on October 17, 2010, was said to have moved from his “condemned cell” to the main prison yard together with his two cell mates around midnight.

But for the vigilance of a prison warden who was making his night rounds, Kombian and the two others, whose identity have not been revealed, would have escaped from the prison where he has been since his sentencing in August 2015. Authorities at the Prison are said to have been shaken by the jail-break attempt by the notorious jailbird who once escaped from prison.

“No one knows how they came out of their condemned cell to the main prison yard around mid-night Sunday. The key to their cell was not broken too. This is the first time,” one of the sources told 3News Monday.

According to 3News sources, authorities have currently locked down the prison since the incident and no prisoner has been allowed out yet as they investigate to establish the circumstance leading to the attempted escape.

Authorities at the Nsawam Prison have meanwhile confirmed the incident but declined to give further details. “We have launched full scale investigations into the matter,” Public Relations Officer at the Prison, DSP Courage Atsem told 3News but declined to give names, noting the details will later be made public.

Who’s Kombian?

Johnson Kombian, alias Garkum, is a farmer and businessman who the Police have described as “notorious armed robber and jail-breaker. He allegedly conspired with one, Kofi Naaman, known as Accra Boy, to rob Djato Mathias, and then attempted to kill him.

He was arrested, tried and sentenced to seven years in prison by the Tamale Circuit Court, but he escaped while serving his jail term.

He later fled to his hometown, Nakpanduri in the Bunkprugu Yunyoo District of the Northern Region, where he sought refuge.

According to prosecutors, Kombian and his accomplices on October 17, 2010, received information that the Police was closing in on them following which they laid ambush and attacked three police officers two of whom died. Prosecutors say Kombian and his accomplices fired gunshots at the police officers who were on a motorbike causing them to fall into a 10-metre long valley.

They continued firing into the valley where the officers landed but they also returned fire. Two of the officers were killed in the process while the other sustained serious gunshot wounds. They fled the scene and later Kombian crossed to neighbouring Togo.

However, on November 19, 2010, was arrested through the efforts of INTERPOL when he crossed the border at Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo District to visit his girlfriend.

He was on August 19, 2015 sentenced to death by hanging on two counts of murder after a seven-member jury returned a verdict of guilty. He is also serving a 30-year jail term on the charge of conspiracy.