Enoch Darfah Frimpong and Mohammed Ali
How a convicted person currently serving prison sentence in a maximum-security facility at Ankaful in Ghana was able to facilitate and participate in activities outside prison walls, that led to the murder of Nana Serwaa Asaama Agyankomaa I, Queen Mother of the Abamba Traditional Area in Atebubu in the Bono East Region on February 25, 2026, has ignited “high-level” investigations in the Ghana Prisons Service, with the management threatening that any inmate or officer found to have violated prison regulations or aided criminal activity would face the full force of the law.
Per the standard practice, prison inmates are only permitted to make telephone calls through officially supervised prison communication facilities and are allowed scheduled visits from relatives, friends and legal representatives.
Again, the possession of personal mobile phones is prohibited for inmates and officers on duty.
There are also strict outlined measures aimed at preventing the entry of prohibited items into prison facilities.
These include physical and electronic screening at prison entry points, routine and intelligence-led searches of cells and workshop areas, as well as random searches of inmates and prison officers.
But despite all these, a preliminary finding by the Ghana Police Service made known by the Inspector General of Police, Christian Tetteh Yohuno, has linked an inmate, Ishaku Alhassan, also known as Sule Yagani, currently serving prison sentence at the Ankaful maximum-security facility in Ghana to activities outside the prison walls in the murder plot of the queen mother.
The queen mother was shot dead at her residence in Atebubu on February 25, 2026.
The Ghana Police Service has since arrested eight suspects, including a chief, following what the police describes as a breakthrough in investigations.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno, in the company of some high-ranking police officials, visited Atebubu last week and announced the breakthrough at a press conference at Atebubu in the Amantin Traditional Area on May 22, 2026.
The suspects grabbed for the killing of the queen mother, Nana Serwaa Gyan Kuma, are the Chief of Akokua, Nana Owusu Sahkofi II, 56, known in private life as Charles Kofi Owusu), who allegedly contracted the others to carry out the murder.
In both cases, the IGP said, the key suspects had confessed to the crime.
Prisons Service press statement
In a press statement dated May 30, 2026, the Ghana Prisons Service announced that it has launched an investigation into the alleged involvement of a convicted prisoner in the murder plot.
Ghanaian Affairs Analysis
The statement signed by the Head of Public Affairs of the Ghana Prisons Service, DDP Janet Asabea, said a high-level investigative team had been constituted to establish the facts surrounding the allegations and make recommendations.
According to the Prisons Service, police investigations have alleged that Alhassan, a convicted prisoner serving a sentence at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison, acted as an intermediary in facilitating the murder.
The Service said it was treating the matter seriously and had begun an internal probe while cooperating with the police in their ongoing investigations.
The Prisons Service cautioned that any inmate or officer found to have violated prison regulations or aided criminal activity would face the full force of the law.
The statement said the allegations had raised concerns about the possibility of a prisoner in a maximum-security facility participating in activities outside prison walls.
The Service explained that inmates are only permitted to make telephone calls through officially supervised prison communication facilities and are allowed scheduled visits from relatives, friends and legal representatives.
It added that possession of personal mobile phones is prohibited for inmates and officers on duty.
The statement outlined measures in place to prevent the entry of prohibited items into prison facilities.
These include physical and electronic screening at prison entry points, routine and intelligence-led searches of cells and workshop areas, as well as random searches of inmates and prison officers.
GHANA PRISONS SERVICE STATEMENT ON THE ALLEGED INVOLVEMENT OF AN INMATE IN THE MURDER OF ABAMBA QUEEN MOTHER, NANA SERWAA GYAN KUMA I
The Directorate of the Ghana Prisons Service expresses its profound and sincere condolences to the chiefs and people of the Abamba Traditional Area in Atebubu, following the tragic murder of their Queen Mother, Nana Serwaa Asaama Agyankomaa I (also known as Nana Serwaa Gyan Kuma I).
Ghanaian Affairs Analysis
The attention of the Prisons Administration has been drawn to preliminary investigative findings released by the Ghana Police Service, which implicate an inmate, Ishaku Alhassan (alias Sule Yagani), in the crime. The suspect, a convicted prisoner serving a sentence at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison, is alleged to have played an intermediary role in facilitating the murder plot.
The Prisons Administration views these allegations with the utmost gravity. The Service has therefore constituted a high powered team to undertake investigation of the issue and come out with specific recommendations. Also, an active inter-agency collaboration with the Ghana Police Service is underway to ensure thorough investigation into the matter.
Management reassures the general public that any individual regardless of status found culpable or complicit in breaching security protocols will be made to face the full rigor of the law.
It is worthy of note that to preserve the fundamental rights of incarcerated individuals, prison inmates are permitted to make heavily supervised voice calls exclusively through official, institutional phone booths. They are also entitled to receive scheduled visits from family, friends, and legal counsel. However, the possession and use of personal mobile phones remain strictly prohibited within all correctional facilities. This prohibition strictly applies to inmates, as well as on-duty correctional officers.
The Service enforces rigorous contraband control measures across its facilities to block the influx of prohibited electronic devices. These measures include:
- Strict physical and electronic searches at all primary prison entry gates.
- Routine and unannounced intelligence-led searches of prison cells and workshop yards.
- Periodic, random body searches conducted on inmates and operational staff.
The Ghana Prisons Service remains committed to its mandate of safeguarding public safety and national security. The Service will continue to balance its duties of ensuring safe inmate custody with the critical work of reformation and rehabilitation.
Source: graphic.com.gh