Prison Officers Extort Money

THERE is confusion among the rank and file of the Prisons Service in Tamale over last Sunday’s jailbreak by a hardened criminal from the local prison.

An inside source told the Times on Friday that there were widespread allegations that some officers were involved in the jailbreak which has created suspicion both among officers and other ranks.

The jailbreak is being linked to allegations that some prison guards sold prohibited items including Indian hemp to convicts in the yard of which top officers were aware but did nothing to stop.

"It is becoming a gold mine for the senior officers and the junior ones are encouraged by that to join the bandwagon," the source alleged.

It is said that anytime a Fulani man was sent to prison custody, there was some kind of jubilation by officers.

Prison officials here were tight-lipped when this reporter contacted them on the issue. Rather than react to the accusations officials blamed each other for the leakage about the jailbreak and other activities of the service, which were supposed to be kept secret.

The Regional Prisons commander, Mr. Adjei Koreah could not be reached either for his comments.

On several occasions, guards at the prison gates refused to let in reporters to speak to the commander saying that they were acting on directive from a higher authority. Last Sunday afternoon a convict, Seidu Isahaka serving a 30 year sentence broke jail just two weeks after his conviction.

The Northern Regional police commander, Ephraim Brakatu told the Times that district police stations have been notified to look out for the fugitive.

Reacting to the allegations that prison officers sold prohibited items like "wee" to inmates, a top official at the Prisons Service was unaware of those activities.

The source admitted that "in an organisation like ours, there are bound to be bad nuts. If what is being told proves to be true we will deal drastically with the culprits."