Sunyani: Injured armed robber escapes from Hospital

The Brong Ahafo Regional Police Command is trying to unravel the circumstances under which a 21-year old suspected armed robber, Kwaku Yeboah who was under a 24-hour guard at the Sunyani Regional Hospital managed to escape on Thursday, May 5, 2016. The command has thus given the police constable who was guarding the suspect (name withheld), who is part of the operations unit a 10-day ultimatum to find the suspected robber or face the full rigours of the rules and regulations of the Ghana Police Service. According to the police, Yeboah and an accomplice, who is at large, robbed a trader, Madam Kate Sam Wilson at gunpoint at Ohene Djan, a suburb of Abesim, near Sunyani on May 2, 2016 of a handbag containing GH2,500 and other items at about 7.30pm.

 The robbers parked their motorbike at about 100 metres away from the store where the victim deals in non-alcoholic beverages and water. But luck eluded them when an 18-year old boy (name withheld), who had responded to the shouts of the victim and laid ambush near the motorbike attacked Yeboah with a big stone. Yeboah, who was riding the motorbike and wielding the gun, fell off the bike while the pillion rider escaped but the young boy pursued the fallen suspect resulting in a struggle between the two.

 According to the police, Yeboah would have been lynched by a mob that accosted him had the police not arrived in time after receiving a distress call. Yeboah was rushed to the Sunyani Regional Hospital because of the severity of the injuries he sustained as a result of the assault and was placed under a 24-hour guard.

 However, police say he managed to outwit the police constable guarding him and escaped on Thursday, May 5, 2016 while on admission. The new development has evoked fears in the victim who according to the police stormed the Regional Police Headquarters last Friday to express worry about his safety after he bravely ensured the arrest of the robber.

Mr Kweku Wilson who is the husband of Madam Kate Wilson, victim of the robbery, said they were called to the Regional Police Headquarters on Friday and informed about the escape of the robber. “We were informed that a 10-day ultimatum had been given to the police constable to search for the robber”. “We are traumatised and my wife now fears to operate her business.

We even fear for the life of the 18-year old boy who put his life at stake to save all of us”. He said it was unfortunate that the police “have allowed this notorious robber to escape under their watch after we have arrested and handed him over to them”.

Mr Wilson explained that Yeboah is a known armed robber who was identified by other people who he robbed in and around Sunyani during his admission at the hospital. “His escape from police custody puts all of us at risk and everything possible should be done to re-arrest him”.

 Mr Wilson called for sustained security measures to protect people in the vicinity since it is expected that the robbers would try to revenge after the ordeal that their colleague went through during his arrest. He advised the police to send signals to all public and private hospitals as well as herbalists in the region and beyond since the robber who had a broken jaw would want to seek health care.

Mr Wilson appealed for a reward for the young man who risked his life and attacked the robbers when they attempted to escape after robbing his wife. According to him after attacking the robbers during which he struggled with them before other people came to his rescue, Yeboah could have succeeded in shooting him if other people had not come to his rescue. “In the end the young man sustained injuries on his hands and other parts of the body and had to be admitted at the hospital”, he explained.