Johnson Kombian, nicknamed “Garkum,” was born into the Kombian family of Nakpanduri, located in Ghana’s North-East Region.
The Kombian family was renowned for farming and producing a local alcoholic beverage called ‘Pito.’
Showing little interest in education, Garkum dropped out of school in class six and joined a local gang of dropout students notorious for terrorising residents. During this period, rumors circulated that Johnson Kombian possessed mystical powers that allowed his gang to rob and steal from local businesses without being apprehended.
Police have described him as a “notorious armed robber and jail-breaker.”
His criminal record includes snatching motorcycles at gunpoint near Nakpanduri camp and being linked as a mastermind behind several violent crimes.
A nationwide manhunt was launched for his apprehension, with billboards featuring his face plastered across Nakpanduri.
How notorious criminal, Johnson Kombian was trapped by a woman
It was Johnson Kombian’s repeated attempts to break out of jail – some successful, others not, that captured the public’s attention.
On January 15, 2010, while serving a six-year sentence at the Tamale Central Prison, Johnson Kombian escaped at around 4 AM.
At the time of his escape, he was also standing trial for several offences, including robbery, attempted murder, unlawful possession of firearms, escaping from lawful custody, and other serious crimes.
According to media reports, Kombian attacked a pedestrian and seized his Hauju motorcycle during the escape.
What followed his escape was chaos, as a reported police pursuit led to widespread destruction and civilian injuries. More than 100 armed officers, acting on the orders of the police high command, raided the town in search of Johnson Kombian.
The operation left significant damage in its wake, with 21 houses and stores, a fuel station, supermarkets, and food crops burned. Innocent civilians, including the young, the elderly, women, and children, were also injured during the raid.
The reports also said that he fled to Togo but returned to his hometown to seek refuge with his manhunt in place.
On October 17, 2010, Combian somehow caught wind that the police were around his vicinity, looking for him.
He and his accomplices would succeed in attacking and ambushing three police officers: Constable Prince Ajari, Constable Owusu Frimpong, and Corporal Osei Bonsu.
Reports indicate that Kombian and his men opened fire on policemen riding a motorbike, forcing them into a 10 metre long valley. Even after the officers had fallen, the group continued shooting at them, reports said.
The policemen sustained injuries from the shooting, which tragically led to the deaths of Constables Ajari and Frimpong while receiving treatment at the Naliriyu Hospital.
Despite the setback, the police did not relent in their pursuit. Three days after restarting the manhunt, on October 26, 2010, they received a tip-off that Kombian had resurfaced in Nakpanduri, specifically in Gomsuga.
Police eventually rounded up 17 people suspected of being connected to Kombian or of having aided him at some point. He was also accused of crimes including rape, murder, and robbery.
On November 19, 2010, Kombian was finally apprehended by Interpol in Togo after being lured there by an informant who told him his girlfriend was seriously ill.
He was sentenced to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to commit murder and given the death penalty by hanging for murder in a condemned cell at the Nsawam Medium Security Prison.
Yet again, on November 7, 2016, Kombian attempted to escape from the Nsawam Medium Security Prison, an incident that forced a lockdown of the facility.
His escape attempt failed after an officer on patrol caught him. Shots were fired at him and other inmates trying to flee, ultimately deterring them from leaving the prison despite getting extremely close to getting out.
Reports indicate that Kombian’s escape from the Tamale Prison facility exposed deeper issues, including allegations that a prison guard assisted him in breaking out of the facility. Kombian himself claimed he had bribed an officer with 4,000 Ghana cedis to secure his freedom.
Notorious criminal, Kombian and two others attempt jailbreak
In all, it is said that Kombian had escaped prison a total of three times.
His death sentence was later converted to life imprisonment after the amendment of the Criminal Offenses Amendment Act and the Armed Forces Amendment Act, which abolished the death penalty in Ghana for ordinary crimes, except in cases of high treason.
MAG/AE
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