A former convict, Samuel Basford, has recounted his journey from drug addiction to a six-year prison sentence following a daring robbery in Odorkor.

Basford, who began using drugs in 1997 while in Junior High School, says his addiction started in Takoradi after he was introduced to narcotics by some Liberians who had relocated to the area.

Unable to sustain himself as a drug addict after moving to the Greater Accra Region, he turned to robbery as a means of survival.

His most notorious act involved setting a fire near a hospital belonging to a military officer at Busia Junction in Odorkor to distract a security guard to gain access to the hospital for a robbery.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Accra-based Rainbow Radio on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, he narrated, “I started using drugs in 1997 when I was in Junior High School Form 2. It began in Takoradi, when I encountered some Liberians. They introduced me to the drugs. Later, I moved to Greater Accra through my brother, but I couldn’t afford to continue buying drugs. That’s when I turned to robbery, which eventually led to my imprisonment.”

“I was arrested after deliberately setting a fire near a hospital at Busia Junction in Odorkor. The fire was meant to distract the security guard, so I could break into the hospital, which belonged to a military officer. Once the guard was distracted, I climbed onto the rooftop and entered the officer’s movie room. I stole money wrapped in bandages, a laptop, and a palmtop,” Bashord disclosed.

Although, he initially evaded capture, CCTV footage eventually identified him—his dreadlocks making him easy to be recognised.

According to the ex-convict, after the robbery, he gave out the stolen electronics to friends who helped him procure cocaine before he was jailed.

Bashford said, interestingly, before he was jailed, he met the military officer who only demanded his palmtop that had very important documents from Singapore.

However, he said he had given out the palmtop already, and it was going to be very difficult to find it.

“After the robbery, I gave the stolen electronics to people who used to help me buy cocaine. Although I wasn’t caught immediately, the hospital had CCTV cameras that captured me. At the time, I had dreadlocks. When the military officer eventually caught me, he wasn’t aggressive. He only asked about his palmtop, which contained important documents from Singapore. Unfortunately, I had already given it away,” he said.

When asked by the host, Kwabena Agyapong, if it was the same military officer who arranged for his arrest, he responded, “Yes, it was the same officer who had me arrested. I was sentenced to six years in prison; some of it served at Nsawam and the rest at Folifoli in the Afram Plains.”

Watch the interview below:



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