Six Kwabenya Jail Break Suspects Freed

An Accra Circuit Court has acquitted and discharged six suspects arrested in connection with the Kwabenya cell break incident which happened in January this year.

The suspects freed are George Yeboah, 30, aka Akwesi Shower, Electrician; Edward Lartey, 20, herbalist; George Sarbah, 23, driver; Elvis Owusu, 31, waiter; George Asante, 33, trader and Theophilius Bandah, 25.

This follows a submission of no case filled by lawyers of the suspects urging the court to free the accused persons they believe are innocent of the charges preferred against them by the prosecution.

The six were part of some suspects hauled before the court alongside three other persons believed to have aided some inmates to escape from the police cells.

Charges

It is the case of the prosecutor, Supt. K. Benpah that the nine, on January 21 this year at Kwabenya, did instigate and abet the three paddies- Prince Osei, 25, aka Bebe, Scrap Dealer, Atta Kwadwo, 20 driver’s mate and Kofi Darko, aka Kofi Duku, 25, trader, to escape from lawful custody.

The lawyers of the suspects unsatisfied with the charges slapped on the accused persons filed for no case.

But after four months of legal back and forth the court presided over by Aboagye Tandoh in a ruling on the application yesterday freed the suspects.

It argued that the prosecution could not establish a case against them.

The court has however asked the rest to open their defence. Case on May 23

Facts

The facts of the case are that on January 21, at about 1 am a gang of armed men numbering about six planned to attack the police station and free their colleagues who were held in detention for various violent crimes they were involved in within the country.

To execute their plan, they proceed to the police station and two of them pretended they had a complaint to lodge, entered the charge office and told the counter NCO that someone borrowed money from them and refused to pay back.

The counter NCO advised them to institute a civil action again the said persons because the case was a civil case but the two gangsters turned and signaled the rest of the gang who had laid ambush within the station.

They then attacked the police men at the station leading to the death of the aforementioned police officer and held the others hostage.

The gang took the key to the cells, released the seven inmates and bolted.

The police officer then arranged for an ambulance to convey Inspector Ashilevi to the police hospital and later to the 37 Military hospital where he died on arrival.

Police intelligence led to the arrest of Akwesi Shower who assisted Bebe and Kwadwo with GH¢ 200 to escape out of the jurisdiction.

Awura Ama also gave GH¢40 to Kofu Duku to enable him run out of the jurisdiction but on January 23 Police intelligence led to the arrest of Bebe and Kwadwo at Worawora in the Volta Region.

Plot

Investigation revealed that whiles in the detention on January 18, Bebe overhead other inmates Chibuzor Akwuba, Dickson Ofori and Rockson Edem @ Herbalist, all at large, planning to escape.

In the evening Awura Ama brought a mobile phone to Dickson Ofori in the cells and he used same to contact his people outside to execute the plan.

Rockson Edem Dzigbede’s brother brought a hacksaw blade to him by hiding it in bread to cut the padlock to the cells but the hacksaw blade could not cut the padlocks.

On interrogation the Bebe stated that he stole his gun from Nana Owuo who also revealed that Dickson Ofori and Chibuzor Akwuba are the boys whom he normally sends out robbery expedition.

Further investigation revealed that it was Nana Owuo in collaboration with Dickson Ofori and Chibuzor who sent the armed men to attack and release them from the cells.

By: Jeffrey De-Graft Johnson