Accra, Nov. 29, GNA - The Ghana Prisons Service on Monday said it had taken a serious view of the bribery allegation made by Johnson Kombian Gulkuun, alias "Burger".

A statement issued in Accra by Assistant Superintendent of Prisons Courage Atsem, Public Relations Officer said the administration would open investigations into the matter for the appropriate action to be taken against the offending officers.

The statement appealed to all and sundry to volunteer information that may lead to establishing the allegation or otherwise. Kombian was imprisoned after his conviction by a Tamale High Court for escaping from lawful custody on several occasions and failure to report to Police on Licence.

The statement said in view of these breaches, he was convicted to seven years and two months imprisonment in hard labour. It said on the night of January 14, this year, undetected by staff on duty Kombian escaped from his prison cell and successfully scaled the wall of Tamale Central Prison to freedom. The statement said investigations conducted into the circumstances surrounding his escape revealed serious lapses on the part of some of the officers on duty that night.

As a result, a panel was constituted to try the culprits and the findings were that, some of the officers on duty were negligent and unprofessional in the performance of their duties that night and therefore were sanctioned according to the degree of their negligence in accordance with Service rules and regulations. The committee which conducted the investigations of the Kombian escape also recommended that certain structural defects at the Tamale Prisons which aided the jail break should be rectified. The Prisons Administration assured the public that even in the face of the challenges confronting the Service, including lack of logistics and dilapidated structures it would continue to endeavour to ensure the safe custody of prisoners.

Kombian blamed by the Ghana Police Service for shooting and killing two of its personnel on patrol duty at Nakpanduri in the Northern Region in October, was arrested in Togo. He fled to the neighbouring country after committing the alleged crime and was rearrested by the International Police (INTERPOL). The fugitive escaped from Ghana after an operation by the police to apprehend him.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Roy Ayinibisa Amuni, Northern Regional Commander speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Tamale, said Kombian was arrested on Friday, November 20, when he crossed the border at Bunkpurugu/Yunyoo District to visit his girl friend. He said Kombian was hovering between Nakpunduri and Togo necessitating the involvement of INTERPOL to effect his arrest. Kombian is on record to have committed a number of criminal offences and escaped from jail a number of times. 29 Nov. 10