7 Hardened criminals escape from police custody at Denu
The Ghana Police Service has mounted a search for seven suspects who allegedly escaped from the cells of the Denu Police Station at dawn yesterday.
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The seven, who were in lawful custody at the cell for various offences, are said to have overpowered two police officers who were on duty at the time of the jailbreak.
The all-male fugitives, whose identities have not yet been disclosed, allegedly made away with two AK47 rifles and 25 rounds of ammunition.
However, luck eluded six others who also attempted to escape but were overpowered by the police.
Circumstances surrounding jailbreak
Though the police were tight-lipped about the circumstances surrounding the jailbreak, the Public Relations Director of the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent of Police Cephas Arthur, confirmed the incident but indicated that the police were hunting for the suspects.
He said police personnel in the Volta Region had been deployed to all barriers and checkpoints while personnel at the Ghana-Togo border had been alerted to be on the lookout for persons meeting the descriptions of the suspects.
Mr Arthur said investigations were ongoing to find out how the jailbreak happened, and explained that it was early days yet to make any conclusions as to how the suspects escaped.
“We need a little time to come out with our investigations. We have started looking for them in earnest,” he said.
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Emergency meeting
Following the incident, the Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Peterkin Yentumi Gyinae, led a team on a visit to the Denu Police Station.
The commander subsequently held an emergency meeting with police officers at Aflao to find a remedy to the situation.
In an interview, the regional commander said the police were doing their best to get the suspects back in custody.
Call for protection
The escape has led to residents of Denu living in fear, especially the informants who aided the police to arrest the suspected armed robbers among the fugitives.
The residents burnt car tyres at Makavo Junction at Aflao, close to the police station to protest and indicate their desire for the police to re-arrest the suspects to protect their lives.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Pascal Lamptey, called on the police to tighten security in the area to prevent any attack on persons the alleged robbers might suspect had given information to the police, leading to their arrest.
A similar incident happened at the Kumasi Central Prisons after a fire outbreak.
One inmate was shot dead when they clashed with the police in an evacuation exercise during the fire outbreak.