SOME 12 Prison Officers have been suspended after an inmate escaped in apparently coordinated scheme in Zanzibar.
This was revealed by President Dr Hussein Mwinyi on Saturday during a meeting with journalists at the State House.
“An investigation into the detainee’s escape has put 12 Corrections Officers on indefinite leave. I commend the Commissioner for Institute of Correction of Offenders Department for taking swift action. Circumstance shows there was coordination for the person to escape. Justice must prevail in the course of investigation,” Dr Mwinyi said.
Explaining further in a separate meeting, Mr Khamis Bakar- Commissioner for Mafunzo (‘Institute of Correction of offenders’) also known as Reformatory Centre, he added that the offender who was being detained over sexual abuse charges, escaped from the prison on 27th November last year, and rearrested later by police, after committing another offence.
“We have suspended 12 officers from their jobs to pave the way for thorough investigation on how the detainee managed to escape,” Commissioner Bakar, told the ‘Daily News’ adding: We are working with President Mwinyi to improve accountability in public offices.
The re-arrested offender, who is now under custody, is facing another charge of escaping from Prison, besides the previous case of kidnapping and defiling a 12-year-old boy, immediately after he escaped from prison. The Prison or Reformatory Centre is working with the Police to complete the investigation.
The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Zubeir Chembera who is the deputy Director of Criminal Investigation (DCI)- Zanzibar told Journalists here that: “We managed to rearrest the suspect with his brothers in Bambi village, Unguja Central district, where they were trying to dodge the police after committing offence. “Thanks to modern technology which helped the police track and identify where they were hiding with the young boy taken as hostage. It is unfortunate the suspects had already terrorised and defiled him and also demanded 1m/- ransom for the boy’s release.”
According to the DCI, two brothers Khamis Dilshadi Muradi (33) and Juma Dilshadi Muradi (23) collaborated with Dickson Ndushi (40)-, who is a traditional healer in committing the offence.
He further said Khamis, who resides at Shauri Moyo is the main suspect and his brother, Juma (23), who lives at Chukwani visited Mr Ndushi, a resident of Bambi, Central District, South Unguja Region to hide after committing the crime.
The cop narrated further that in their track, the suspects were frequently sending intimidation messages to the victim’s father, threatening and asking for ransom for the release of the boy.
He added: “In one occasion, they started by demanding 3m/- then shot to 5m/- and later 8m/- or else the boy would not turn back alive. Fortunately we managed to track them and arrest them before they managed to get the hush money.”
