Prisoners Files Burnt

DOCUMENTS CONTAINING the jailed terms and other vital information about some prisoners at the Kumasi Central Prison have been burnt, creating administrative problems for officials of the penitentiary.

Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon, who made the disclosure, said the documents got burnt when some inmates of the prisons attempted a jail break at the facility, about a year ago.

According to him, the prison officials in the region are now consulting relevant bodies, mainly the Ashanti Regional Police Command to get the information covering the prisoners to streamline their operations.

Mr Ackon implored the police and other stakeholders, to co-operate fully so as to help the regional prison officials secure the information to make the management of the prison easier.

The Ashanti Regional Minister was speaking when Mr. Prosper Bani, Minister of Interior and the IGP, John Kudalor, who are on a working tour of the region, visited him in his office on Wednesday morning.

He disclosed that about 639 inmates are currently on remand at the Kumasi Central Prison, lamenting that the ancient-looking prison facility is currently congested, with its attendant health problems for inmates.

Mr Ackon said the idea of relocating the Kumasi Central Prison from the heart of Kumasi, should be given the utmost attention, saying that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, who owns all lands in the region, could play a major role.

He said the Fulani cow menace at Asante Akim Agogo is a national problem which needs multi-sectoral approach, commending the Ashanti Regional Police Command, for working assiduously to combat crime in the region.

Mr. Prosper Bani, for his part, saluted the Ashanti Regional Police Command for working tirelessly to reduce crime in the region, stressing the need for the police to shun complacency and uphold hard work.

He charged all relevant security agencies in the region to work hard to ensure that the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections would be peaceful in the region and the country at large.