A scene from the court during Thursday’s rampage by the Delta Force
Thirteen members of the Delta Force, a vigilante group, who escaped from the KMA Circuit Court on Thursday, have given themselves up to the police, saying they took the action because they were afraid of being physically attacked in the courtroom.
The police had declared them wanted after the escape from lawful custody aided by their members.
According to them, the group is sharply divided currently, with some of the members strongly kicking against their unjustified decision of attacking George Adjei, the Ashanti Regional Security Liaison Officer.
The 13 members said they were scared when they saw a mob marching into the courtroom and singing war songs after the presiding judge, Mary Senkyire, had remanded them into prison custody for two weeks.
They claimed they suspected the other Delta Force members, who were opposed to their attack of the security coordinator, were the ones that had stormed the courtroom to physically attack them, hence their decision to escape.
According to them, it was after they had moved out of the courtroom and taken refuge somewhere in the city that they realized that the huge crowd was not in the courtroom to harm them as they initially perceived.
Surrender To Police
The 13 made the confession after they had personally surrendered themselves to the police in the midnight of Thursday, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, DCOP Ken Yeboah, told DAILY GUIDE in an interview.
The police capo stated that all the 13 escapees were kept in police cells to start their two weeks’ remand sentence, adding that the accused persons would appear in court on April 20, this year, when the case would be called again.
DCOP Yeboah admitted that the police got it wrong and personally took a full responsibility.
“We have to admit that we didn’t get it right there and as a leader, I have to accept responsibility for that,” he admitted.
8 Arrested
DCOP Ken Yeboah indicated that eight other people, whom the police suspect to have played key roles in allowing the 13 accused persons to escape from court, had also been nabbed and caged in police cells.
According to the commander, the eight people would be cautioned, strongly pointing out that any of them who would be found culpable would be arraigned before court.
Delta Force Deceives Police
DCOP Yeboah, delving into the court invasion, stated that the Delta Force members had for the past two weeks, when they were on police inquiry bail, been obedient and fully cooperative with the police.
In this regard, he said the regional command did not expect that these same repentant-looking people, who had reported themselves at the police station over the past two weeks, could even think of escaping from court.
He said their decision to escape came as a surprise to the police, but he quickly stated that the police are firmly in control of the security situation in the region and would not tolerate any lawlessness.
Technical Hitch
DCOP Yeboah debunked assertions that the police were not proactive on Thursday, a situation which enabled the 13 men to escape from court, saying that his outfit prepared well but a last-minute technical hitch let them down.
Reports said only five policemen were sent to the court, including a pregnant policewoman.
A well-armed police standby team, DCOP Yeboah said, was stationed at the police headquarters, expecting a phone call from the officer handling the case, “but the officer said his phone calls could not get through on time.”
Judge Not Attacked
He rejected speculations that the presiding Judge, Ms Mary Senkyire, was attacked by the Delta Force gangsters, disclosing that the judge even continued with her day’s duty in court after the ugly incident.
Charges
The 13 people were facing charges of conspiracy to assault a public officer, assault on public officer, causing unlawful damage and rioting, for attacking Mr. George Adjei.
From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi