Samuel Udoetuk Wills
Samuel Udoetuk Wills, the suspected kidnapper who escaped from police cells in Takoradi in the Western Region, has accepted the charge of escaping from lawful custody and causing damage but denied resisting police arrest.
The 28-year-old Nigerian, who is the prime suspect in the case of the three kidnapped girls that has rocked the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, yesterday claimed that an officer from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) aided him to escape from the police cells.
He has already said in his caution statement that one Kwesi brought him a hacksaw blade and oil to cut open the iron rod protecting the small window that provides ventilation to escape, but the policeman’s bit never came up until yesterday.
He told the Magistrate Court presided over by Mr. Michael Ampadu that he would be able to identify the CID man when given the opportunity.
The suspect escaped from custody of the Takoradi Police on December 30, 2018, and was re-arrested in an uncompleted building located between Kansaworodo and Nkroful in Sekondi-Takoradi at about 1:00am on Friday, January 4, 2019.
He was subsequently charged with three counts of escaping from lawful custody, causing unlawful damage and resisting arrest.
It was gathered that the suspect, in an attempt to escape again after the re-arrest, head-butted one of the policemen but was finally overpowered.
However, when the Nigerian suspected kidnapper appeared before the Takoradi Magistrate Court yesterday, he denied resisting police arrest.
When he was given the opportunity to speak yesterday, the suspect said that the oil provided him by the said Kwesi helped to reduce the noise generated as a result of cutting the iron rod.
He said the ‘operation’ for him to escape started at about 3pm and ended a little after 6pm when he finally escaped.
After narrating his side of the story, the judge told the suspect that even though he pleaded not guilty, evidence has shown that he caused damage to the property.
When the court asked the suspect whether he had witnesses in the case, Samuel Udoetuk Wills replied that his witness is the Kwesi he had mentioned.
“In Ghana when you mention Kwesi you have not said anything because I am also Kwesi and there are so many Kwesis; so which Kwesi are you talking about?” the judge asked him.
The court then gave the suspect one week to produce the said Kwesi in court to testify, adding “if he fails, I will give my judgment”.
He then adjourned the case to February 18, 2019.
Caution Statement
Interestingly, in his caution statement to the police as read by the investigator, Detective Inspector Austin Adjei, the 28-year-old Nigerian did not mention any CID man as an accomplice in his escape.
Per the statement, the suspect’s friend identified only as Kwesi visited him at the police charge office on December 26, 2018, after his arrest.
The suspect indicated in his caution statement that Kwesi went to the police station again on Saturday, December 29, 2018, at about 4pm.
He wrote that the friend went behind the cells and threw two small hacksaw blades through the window to help him cut the iron rods put there to ensure ventilation.
According to the suspect, Kwesi also gave him oil to apply to the iron rods to douse the noise while cutting so that the police would not hear any sound.
The suspect indicated that he used the blades to cut the iron rods on Sunday, December 30, 2018 and escaped from the cells few minutes after 6pm.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi