Information gathered by The Chronicle indicates that Pius Anundoabil Ayoma, an alleged armed robber, who broke jail at the Manet Police Station after attacked a pregnant woman, has cut through the iron bars of the cell to escape.

Although the police have remained tight-lipped on how the accused escaped, a deep throat source has told the paper in an interview that Pius cut eight iron bars of the cell to escape. The informant indicated that the police were yet to determine whether the accused used a hacksaw blade or a cutter to achieve his goal, as well as how he received such foreign materials in the cell.

The source added that the cell ess just behind the counter, therefore, raising questions about how the accused managed to escape without a trace. The whistleblower said Pius was in the cell with another person, who had been convicted to serve a four-year term at the Ankaful Prisons.

Unfortunately, the convict could not escape due to his body size. Pius was reportedly detained at the Manet Police Station for close to a year notwithstanding the protestation by the Station Officer, who died on duty in his office, that the accused should be transferred elsewhere.

James Okai, the late Station Officer, allegedly feared that constantly detaining the accused at the station was dangerous, because he fired at the peace officers who arrested him from his hide out at Fumbisi in the Upper East Region.

The source recalled that on countless occasions the late Station Officer instructed that no foreign material should enter the cell apart from food and water.

Interestingly, when the paper asked the source for CCTV footage of the day of the incident, it was informed that the system unit reloads every 24 hours, therefore, whatever transpired on that day was not available.

The Chronicle, on March 8, 2023, contacted the District Commander, Superintendent Joshua Owusu, when the jailbreak issue became public, but apart from confirming the incident, he declined to make any further comments.

This reporter also made efforts to reach the Greater Accra Regional Commander on the issues, but without success.

Background

Pius was being tried by an Accra Criminal High Court, presided over by Justice Lydia Osei Marfo, on the charges armed robbery and attempted murder.

The court ordered that Pius be transferred from police custody to the Nsawam Prisons on March 1, and adjourned the case to March 20. Unfortunately, the preparation of the warrant by the court officers delayed, so the accused was returned to the Manet Police Station.

After everything was set and done for the accused to be transferred into prison custody, he escaped during the wee hours of March 2. Pius was a private security personnel at the pregnant woman and her husband’s residence.

The accused was relieved off his duty by his employers due to a report of petty stealing by the complainant. On January 31, 2020, at about 7:30pm, the accused, although no longer working at the residence of the complainant, armed with a gun and a knife, surfaced at the premises wearing a mask and attacked the new security personnel on duty.

He tied the security man’s legs and arms with a neck tie and a rope, after which he hit him several times with the butt of the gun. He then gained access to the main house with a duplicate key, which he already had. He forcefully broke into the couple’s bathroom, where the wife of the complainant was freshening up to go to church and injured himself in the process, resulting in blood stains on the floor.

He ordered her to transfer some money from her phone to a mobile phone number, which investigations later revealed was registered in his name.

He then took her to the room where he had tied the security guard, and threatened to hit her with the gun when he was hitting the security guard if she did not give him more money. She pleaded with him not to hit her, because she was pregnant and did not want to lose her baby.

The accused forcibly made her transfer about GH¢2,000.00 to the said phone number, and even assaulted her. He again asked her for more money, which she said she did not have, so he told her he would wait for her husband to return, since he was aware they were well to do.

Pius then tied her up in the bathroom, ransacked the rooms, and collected various items belonging to the couple. The accused then took away two iPhones, one Dell Laptop computer, one DSTV decoder, one subwoofer, one 32 inches Samsung television, one 55 inch Philips flat screen television, two travelling bags and assorted cloths.

Pius also ordered her to use her phone to order an Uber to come to the house. The accused, upon the arrival of the Uber driver, conveyed all the items with his (the Uber driver) assistance into the vehicle.

The accused did not, however, leave, but laid in wait for the complainant (husband) to return from work. When the complainant finally returned home, he realised his house was under attack. He saw his wife tied to the toilet seat and in his attempt to set her free was attacked by the accused who was hiding behind the bathroom door.

The court was further told that the accused tried hitting him (complainant) with his gun, but the complainant hit the gun with his hand and run outside while shouting for help.

The accused actually chased the complainant outside and fired the gun at him but missed, and he managed to escape unhurt. The accused (who had earlier on come out unmasked to pack the stolen items into the Uber) jumped into the Uber vehicle but now masked, and ordered the driver at gunpoint to drive out of the house towards Spintex Road.

On their way the accused removed the mask and ordered the Uber driver to get a taxi for him. The driver obliged and stopped a taxi and he transferred the booty into it and ordered the driver to drive in the direction of Kasapreko.

The police were informed and the accused was traced to Kasapreko junction, where he was spotted in the taxi with the stolen items belonging to the complainants. The police signalled the driver to stop and he did.

The accused came out and pointed a gun at the police. The police also pointed a gun at him, but upon realising that the gun of the police was not functioning he (the accused) managed to escape from the vehicle leaving behind the taxi together with the booty. The taxi was sent to the Manet Police Station where a complaint was lodged.

Later investigations revealed that the accused was hiding at Fumbisi in the Upper East Region where he was arrested. In the process of arresting him, the accused resisted, with the assistance of his mother and other members of his family by firing at one of the arresting officers, injuring him in the process.