THE Northern Sector Head of the VAT Service, Mr Samuel Kofi Otabil, last week Wednesday narrowly escaped death when a number of armed robbers stormed his house at Ayigya in Kumasi and ransacked it.

The robbers, armed with rifles and locally made guns, fired indiscriminately into his bedroom. They also chased him to the bathroom where he and his family had sought refuge.

The robbers, numbering about 10, fired indiscriminately into the bathroom as well, but the bullets missed their target narrowly.

The robbers, however, succeeded in taking away ?3.5 million cash and all his personal belongings, including two passports, a driving licence, jewellery and other vital documents.

Narrating his ordeal in an interview last Thursday, Mr Otabil said around 1.30 a.m. on Wednesday, he heard an unusual noise near his house and when he found out, he detected that armed robbers had surrounded his house.

According to Mr Otabil, the robbers started firing indiscriminately into the house after jumping over the fence wall and later started breaking the doors using blocks and other sharp instruments.

He said, when he saw that the robbers were fully armed and no help was coming, he tried to call for assistance from the police but his calls failed.

He said, when he detected that the robbers had gained entry into the rooms, he sought refuge in the bedroom, but when they later gained access there, he and his family went to hide in the bathroom, but the robbers followed them there, shooting indiscriminately.

He said before then, he had cashed ?1.5 million from the bank to enable him pay the school fees of his son who had gained admission to Mfantispim Secondary School. He said his wife had also collected ?2.5 million to enable her transact business the following day.

He said as soon as the robbers gained entry into the bathroom, they demanded every pesewa they had at home and since he had no choice, he surrendered the ?3.5 million to them to save their lives.

He said not satisfied with the amount, the robbers ransacked the rooms, packing every available clothing into traveling bags.

The robbers also took away a 20-inch Sanyo colour television, a video deck, a radio cassette player, his passport and driving licence as well as the passport of his daughter.

He said six men fully armed entered the rooms, while others stood guard at the gate. Mr. Otabil said after the armed robbers had left he was able to contact the Regional Police Commander for assistance, but no policeman came to their aid until dawn, when he managed to contact the UST police.

He said although those who entered the rooms were not wearing any mask, he cannot identify any of them because of the tense situation.