FOR Joe Ayembilla, a labourer who was caught ransacking a communications centre, the best option to avoid instant justice was to lock himself up inside the container.

When finally arrested, Ayembilla had caused about ?8 million worth of damage to equipment in the centre.

Ayembilla pleaded not guilty to all three counts of unlawful entry, stealing and causing damage when he appeared before a Kumasi circuit tribunal. The tribunal, chaired by Mr Ernest Yao Obimpeh, remanded Ayembilla into prison custody on his first appearance.

On his fourth appearance on Monday, June 24, the tribunal granted Ayembilla a ?15 million bail with a surety to be justified.

The facts of the case as presented by the prosecutor, Chief Inspector Margaret Damalie, are that the complainant is a retired soldier who established a communications centre at the Bantama Market.

Chief Inspector Damalie said on May 1, at about 2.00 am, one Kweku Appiah, a witness in the case, who was then sleeping at a nearby filling station, woke up to urinate.

She said Appiah heard an unusual noise in the communications centre which aroused his suspicion. Moments later, he saw Ayembilla, who had then broken into the container and was removing the equipment from it and placing them outside.

The prosecutor said Appiah, upon seeing that Ayembilla had entered the container again, raised an alarm and attendants sleeping at a nearby filling station woke up and rushed to the scene. Chief Inspector Damalie said Ayembilla, sensing danger of instance justice, locked the door and refused to come out of the centre. She said one Kweku Appiah Kubu, who happened to be on the scene, informed the Suntreso Police. She said even after the police had arrived at the scene, Ayembilla still refused to come out.

She said when the complainant managed to open the container, Ayembilla was found hiding on the ceiling.

According to the Inspector, Ayembilla was immediately arrested and placed in police custody.

Chief Inspector Damalie said it was later found that Ayembilla had damaged a number of equipment, comprising a photocopier machine, a computer, an air conditioner, roofing sheets, the ceiling structures as well as a number of documents, all valued at about ?8 million.

She said Ayembilla was charged with the offences after investigations. Ayembilla admitted before the tribunal that he did enter the container.

He, however, explained that he was forced to ransack the centre by a group of armed robbers but he could neither identify them nor show where they reside. The tribunal, however, would not take Ayembilla?s explanation and accordingly remanded him in custody.