By Francis Tim Mbom
Gendarmes in Limbe, August 28, arrested a "dangerous" prisoner, who was amongst the 53 inmates that escaped from the Buea Central Prison on August 14.Francis Odema a.k.a Apkwan, 24, was picked up in a house at New Town in Limbe in the night . His re-arrest brings to 13 the number of escapees recaptured since the massive jailbreak.
The Limbe Brigade Commander, Metougue Messoumbe, told The Post in his Bota-Limbe office on August 29 that they arrested Akpwan following a tip-off. He said they had got wind of Apkwan's presence in town a couple of days back. But their bid to arrest him proved futile.
"This was the third attempt to have him in our net," Metougue said. He said the police carried out the second operation."The boy happens to have been very sensitive and pretty cautious in his movement around," said Metougue. But with the collaboration of their informant, the Commander said, Adjudant Epale and other colleagues finally got Apkwan.
Criminal Record
Apkwan's records show that he had been sentenced to death (see The Post No: 0693). The Brigade Commander added that from their investigations, this was the third time Apkwan had escaped from prison either through a jail break or some other foul means.
Metougue disclosed that Apkwan, after his escape, reportedly led a gang of thieves who attacked a popular bar at Isokolo in Limbe, owned by the General Manager of the CDC, Chief Henry Njalla Quan. The Post gathered that Apkwan and his group made away with a car, and mobile phones that they seized from customers and the bar tenders. Njalla Quan, who was in the bar when the hoodlums struck, escaped unhurt.
The Post learned that Apkwan was one of the ringleaders of a gang of armed robbers who raided Limbe on January 17. They attacked a newspaper/MTN stand at Half Mile in Limbe owned by the Deputy Chair of the Limbe Urban Council and businessman, Thomas Tchio, and made away with cash and MTN cards valued at some FCFA 14 million.
On the night of January 22, at New Town, the same gang carried out another operation in one hotel. Here, they shot dead one Joseph Njong, a bricklayer, seriously injured a customer of the hotel and made away with some FCFA 400,000.
After this spate of attacks that left one dead, millions stolen and several people injured, the National Security mounted a search, which finally culminated in the arrest of Apkwan and his accomplices. They were taken to the Buea prison and jailed.
Tchio Reacts
Asked to comment on the re-arrest of Apkwan, Tchio said on August 30 that the re-arrest did not mean much because the system has become one where criminals always find their way out of prison.
He said his business premises were burgled while he was out of the country and so did not have much to say.
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