CCTV captures two Prison officers aiding Chinese inmate to escape
In an Accra Circuit Court, two prison officers, Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu, are facing charges of aiding the escape of Wang Xiao, a Chinese prisoner at Nsawam Medium Prison. The accused officers initially claimed that a Toyota Vitz car approached them after a hospital visit, taking the convict away. However, CCTV footage from a hotel revealed a different story.
The footage exposed that Oteng and Bonsu escorted Wang Xiao to a hotel, where he met his wife in a room. Allegedly, the convict and his wife escaped through the room’s balcony while the officers waited in the hotel reception area. The accused officers have pleaded not guilty, and the court, presided over by Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah, granted them bail in the sum of GhC100,000 each, with two sureties to be justified.
According to Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, leading the prosecution, the complainant was the third in command at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, overseeing the accused officers. On February 7, 2024, at around 0700 hours, Oteng and Bonsu were assigned to escort Wang Xiao to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.
The prosecution revealed that after the convict received treatment, the accused officers agreed to accompany him to Oceans Hotel in Korle Gonno to meet his wife in exchange for a reward of GHC1,000, which they intended to split. The officers removed the handcuffs from the convict and brought him to the hotel reception, informing the receptionist that they were there to see someone in one of the rooms.
Inside the hotel room, they met Wang Xiao’s alleged wife, who offered them KFC rice and drinks, allowing her to spend some private time with her husband. Upon returning to the room, the officers discovered that both the convict and his wife had escaped through the balcony.
After the escape, Oteng and Bonsu went to Tema Station Hockey to hide the handcuffs with a witness in the case. They then informed their superiors in Nsawam that the convict escaped when a yellow and black unregistered Toyota Vitz taxi unexpectedly stopped them
.
Subsequently, during investigations, the accused officers led the police to the hotel. CCTV footage reviewed during the investigation showed that the convict and his wife escaped from the first-floor building balcony while the officers were relaxing in the reception area after receiving meals from the convict’s wife. The hotel staff alerted the officers to the prisoner’s escape only after some time.
This incident has raised concerns about the integrity and professionalism of correctional officers, emphasizing the need for strict measures to prevent collusion between prisoners and officers. The legal proceedings will determine the fate of Oteng and Bonsu, shedding light on the accountability within the correctional system and the security measures in place.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
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