An advocate and recovering addict currently undergoing rehabilitation at the Chosen Rehab Centre, Kweku Gardener, has stated that inmates in Ghanaian prisons can be poisoned.

According to him, the process is easy and, as someone who has been consistently in and out, he was responding to claims made by Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, special aide to Bernard Antwi Boasiako, also known as Chairman Wontumi, alleging a plot to poison the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.

Appearing on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he noted that he personally witnessed a situation where some inmates died after consuming light soup brought in for another inmate.

He told host Kwabena Agyapong that the prison officers themselves are fully aware of this possibility.

While acknowledging that some inmates unhappy with their conditions might fabricate claims to get transferred to different facilities, he maintained that the poisoning of inmates remains a distinct reality.

“It is highly possible for inmates in prison to be poisoned. I recollect a story of an inmate who was nicknamed Tobinco. That young man was a sports enthusiast. He was a braggart, but also someone who loved good food. He was brought a light soup which his friends consumed and later died. Tobinco later found them in a discomforting situation. The soup was meant for him, but his friends were those who paid the price. I personally witnessed this situation,” he said.

Gardener added that several attempts were made on Tobinco’s life due to how he carried himself within the prison yard.

“This is not a rumour. It is stories I have witnessed. Personally, I had also experienced such attempts, but I survived,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Prisons Service has launched an investigation into an alleged plot by inmates to assassinate Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, popularly known as “Chairman Wontumi,” the former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

The Service was alerted to the threat by Dr Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, a senior aide to the politician. Dr Boakye-Danquah stated that Antwi-Boasiako personally informed him of the plot during a court appearance on Tuesday, claiming inmates had attempted to poison him while in custody. The allegation surfaced as the NPP politician marked his 100th day in detention.

Chief Superintendent of Prisons (CSP) Abdul Latif Adamu, Public Relations Officer for the Ghana Prisons Service, confirmed the investigation during an interview on Rainbow Radio’s Nyankonton Mu Nsem. While confirming the ongoing probe, CSP Adamu expressed disappointment over how the politician’s aide publicly handled the communication regarding the incident.