The Ghana Prisons Service has expressed concern over the actions of two of its officers who allegedly aided the escape of Wang Xiao, a Chinese convict at Nsawam Medium Prison.
In a statement, the Service reiterated its commitment to upholding high standards and maintaining a professional code of conduct among its personnel.
Joseph Oteng and Sergeant Isaac Boateng Bonsu, the accused officers, have been formally charged with conspiracy and aiding escape.
They were put before an Accra Circuit Court after CCTV footage contradicted their initial account.
The footage showed the officers escorting the convict to a hotel room to meet his wife, from where the pair reportedly escaped while the officers remained in the reception area.
They pleaded not guilty and the presiding were Mrs. Afia Owusua Appiah granted them bail.
Bail was set at GH¢100,000 each, with the requirement of two sureties to be justified. The case is scheduled to resume on April 9, 2024.
Chief Inspector Wisdom Alorwu, leading the prosecution, said the complainant held a significant position at Nsawam Medium Security Prisons, under which the accused officers served.
In an interview on Citi FM, Superintendent Abdul Latif Adamu, the Chief Public Relations Officer of the Prisons Service, expressed dismay over the incident, labeling it as regrettable.
He reiterated the Service’s stance against such misconduct, stressing the importance of professionalism and adherence to the code of conduct.
“Our organization, as I mentioned, has standards. We have our training protocols and our behavioural codes. It is rather unfortunate that this happened, and I can assure you that it is because of issues like this that we have sanctions for workers who may act contrary to the codes of conduct of any organization. So for now, I wouldn’t want to comment on that because the case is still in court, and we want to see what the outcome of the case will be before we can actually comment on it” he said.
Superintendent Adamu assured that, efforts to educate and sensitize officers on the significance of professionalism would continue unabated.
“Like the military will always tell you, in any given situation, there are some levels of casualties allowed. So I don’t think the behaviour exhibited by these two officers is a true representation of the behaviours of prison officers in general because these are only two out of thousands of prison officers who are behaving and going about their daily duties professionally. So yes, we don’t condone that. We frown on that. But we can assure you that our officers are professional, and we will also continue to educate them so they can be more professional in their line of duty,” he added.
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