The Ghana Police Service has intensified search efforts across the Western Region following the escape of three prisoners from a local holding facility. The Ghana News Agency reports that the inmates took advantage of a power outage on Friday night to flee the premises while security protocols were compromised by the darkness.
As of Saturday morning the specific identities of the three escapees remain unconfirmed by official police records though Citi Newsroom reports that additional checkpoints have been established on major roads leading out of the region. Security personnel are currently conducting targeted sweeps of residential areas and bushlands near the facility according to a GhanaWeb report on the incident.
Officials from the Ghana Prisons Service have not yet released a formal statement regarding the specific security breach that allowed the departure. The Ghana News Agency states that the escape occurred under the cover of a general electricity failure which affected the lighting and electronic monitoring systems at the unnamed station.
Regional commanders have urged the public to provide any information regarding suspicious individuals observed in the vicinity of the escape site. While no specific charges against the fugitives have been verified the police are treating the matter as a high priority security threat according to statements attributed to local officers by MyJoyOnline.