Nine Nigerians suspected to be inmates who fled during a jailbreak at the Owerri Custodial Centre in Imo State have been arrested while trying to enter Ghana through the River Volta in Ada with a boat.
On April 5, over 1,884 prison inmates were said to have escaped after some armed group arrived in vehicles, carrying rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns and rifles. They entered the prison’s yard by using explosives to break through the administrative block and then released over 1,844 inmates from the jail.
The suspects, including a woman were arrested at Ada upon a tip-off
They are Emmanuel Obinnah Chiedozie, 27, Kelli Ekureni, 33, Steve Eyenuku, 33, Freedom Yusuf, 25, Enebeli Lucky, 29, Yummi Usmah, 29, Patrick Chanar, 47, Bless Eyenuku, 25, and Obi Onuora, 38.
Items found on them at the point of arrest were personal effects, passports, ID cards and both Nigeria and Ghana currencies, among others.
Confirming the arrest to Ghanaweb, an online news outfit in Ghana, Chief Superintendent Francis Somian, Ada Divisional Police Commander, said the suspects were arrested through intelligence.
According to the poice chief, at about 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, police had information that some foreigners were ferried across the River Volta into Ada Foah and were preparing to travel through public transport to Accra when they were arrested.
He explained that the police, armed with such information, quickly moved to the area, Clinic Junction Lorry Station and accosted the suspects onboard a Sprinter commercial bus with registration number ER 1657-14.
He stated that suspects had been handed over to the Ghana Immigration Service office in Tema for further action.
However, Mercy Budu, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Immigration Service told newsmen that the suspects had been transferred from Tema to the Headquarters in Accra.
