GANG OF FOUR JAILED 320 YEARS (LEAD STORY, JULY 3, 2010)

FOUR out of the 11 prisoners who broke out of jail at the Sekondi Central Prison have been jailed 80 years each (a total of 320 years) by the Sekondi High Court for robbery and escaping from lawful custody.
The four — Mohammed Issa, Raphael Lawow, Mahamadu Gariba and Okorley Ebenezer Tetteh — were convicted on two counts of robbery and escape from lawful custody. Each count carries a 40-year prison term which will run concurrently.
Three others, identified as Jallo Ibrahim, Kweku Abeiku and Gariba Adamu, were also jailed 36 months each for attempting to escape from lawful custody.
The four, who were serving various sentences in the Sekondi Prison, escaped from lawful custody on May 2, 2010 after they had violently broken into the prisons’ armoury and made away with seven G3 rifles, hijacked vehicles and proceeded to rob residents of Ituma Estates in the Shama District of the Western Region.
However, the security agencies are yet to retrieve two remaining G3 rifles and arrest others who are at large, namely, Wadrago Adama, Raphael Ayo Bouro (a Nigerian), Yaw Mensah Sampson and Adama Idrisu.
The court has consequently issued a warrant for their arrest while intensive search is still ongoing to recover and retrieve the remaining weapons.
Before the passing of judgement by the court, presided over by Justice Robbin Batu, the prisoners pleaded that the judge should instruct the prisons authorities to move them from lock-up to the main prison yard.
They also asked the judge to instruct the authorities to remove the chains and that they would not escape again, saying the first attempt was informed by the harsh conditions at the prison.
A Chief State Attorney, Ms Patience Klinogo, told the court that the convicts were already serving various prison terms in the Sekondi Prison before their violent escape from lawful custody.
She said the escapees’ action was against the laws of the country and so they were charged for escaping from lawful custody, attempting to escape from lawful custody and conspiracy to commit robbery.
On Sunday, May 2, 2010, 11 prisoners broke out of jail after they had overpowered prison officers on duty, broke into the armoury and escaped with arms and ammunition.
They attacked the prison officers on duty and commercial and private vehicles in their bid to escape but they got involved in a series of accidents. They also shot and wounded a driver before hijacking his vehicle.
The prisoners were later arrested by a joint military, police and prisons team after they had joined three other fugitives to allegedly rob residents of Ituma Estates of their mobile phones and money.