A bread seller near the Kwabenya District Police Headquarters is alleged to have aided the jailbreak that led to the shooting and killing of an officer and escape of seven inmates.
Identified as Nancy Dentah, the trader is reported to have initiated contacts between inmates and the armed group that staged the bloody attack last two weeks.
Police sources say preliminary investigations revealed she smuggled her phone to a Nigerian inmate identified as Chibuzor Akwubar in the cell, hours before the attack.
The bread seller is among the 12 suspects who have been arrested in connection with the attack. They also include three of the seven escapees.
The Police will arraign all of them Tuesday, Director-General of Police Public Affairs ACP David Eklu has said. He told Joy FM some of the suspects were arrested for aiding and abetting.
“One of them is believed to be the one who shot Inspector Emmanuel Ashilevi,” he said, stating the police are working to arrest the four other inmates who escaped.
Inspector General of Police (IGP), David Asante-Apeatu has said the police will honour the memory of the officer every year to bolster the confidence of the others to discharge selfless services to the country.
“Our colleague has not died in vain and his name is going to be engraved in gold at the cenotaph and every year we are going to celebrate him,” the police chief said at the one-week celebration of the passing of the officer.
There are calls for the government to organize a state burial for the fallen hero as was done for slain soldier Major Maxwell Adam Mahama last year.
ACP Eklu said no decision has been taken on that, noting there are several types of burial for police personnel based on ranks and circumstances of death.
But the Police Public Affairs Director-General did not rule out the impact of a state burial on the police force.
“Giving Mr Ashilevi a state burial will boost the morale of officers,” he said, adding it emboldens the personnel to do their work without fear or favour.
Already, Interior Minister Ambrose Dery has assured the police administration the government was putting in place measures to improve the welfare of police personnel.
But security analyst Adam Bornah has asked the police to go beyond the Interior Minister to initiate talks with the Finance Ministry because it is in charge of the budget.
“When the budget was read, security was not part of the highlights,” he said, adding Ghana was not going anywhere until “we resource the police service.”
<<Print>>