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A Second Class prison officer Abibula Nankpa, attached to the Ankaful Main Camp Prison in the Central Region has been jailed 13 years with hard labour for possessing narcotic drugs.

Nankpa was arrested in August 2017 when he tried to throw cannabis over the prison walls to the prisoners.

The convict was, however, acquitted and discharged on the first count of supplying narcotics to inmates as the court could not establish who the drugs were meant for.

He was however sentenced to 13 years with hard labour on the second count of possessing narcotics.

Giving the sentence, the presiding judge, Afia Amankwa said the prison officer should have known better as a law enforcement officer.

It would be recalled that on August 5, 2017, Nankpa was shot at the hip by guards at the Ankaful Maximum Security Prison when he was found throwing some items over the prison's walls.

He was handed over to the police as the items were suspected to be Indian hemp.

Prison officer dismissed for possessing wee

Meanwhile, another prison officer of the service was also dismissed two months ago for a similar offence and the case is currently before the court.

The Central Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Prisons Service, Deputy Superintendent of Prisons (DSP), Daniel Machator, in an interview said prison officers were supposed to be reforming inmates under their care and not leading them astray.

"Any attempt by a visitor or officers to engage in trafficking of contraband would be swiftly crushed," he added.

DSP Machator said there had been increased patrols and monitoring of the facility, noting that the arrest of the officer was testimony to the vigilance of officers on patrols around the facility.

He has therefore admonished prison officers to serve as role models to the inmates but not becoming their crime partners.