SOMALIA: A MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH BY A PUNTLAND COURT ESCAPES JAIL

July 12, 2021:

A prisoner who was sentenced to death by a court in Puntland for the murder of a man in Lasanod several years ago on 6 July 2021 escaped the main prison in the town of Gardo.  
Colonel Abdirizak Mohamud Hersi, a spokesman for the Puntland Correctional Forces, told the media that one of the inmates complained of being sick at the Gardo Central Prison, was taken to hospital for treatment, but escaped.
Speaking to the media, the spokesman said a prisoner named Ahmed Abdi Jama, that the state court has already sentenced to death, and handed to official of Karkar region, escaped while being escorted to hospital.
Colonel Abdirizak Mohamud Hersi said that officers escorting Ahmed Abdi’s to the hospital deliberately handed him over to militiamen who were ready to take him.
Speaking further, the spokesman of the Puntland Correctional Forces said that one of the officers escorting Ahmed Abdi Jama had already escaped and is being pursued.
Colonel Abdirizak Mohamud Hersi also said that security authorities are pursuing the escaped prisoner from the main prison in the town with a view of ensuring he is returned to prison.
Jama fled to Mogadishu after murdering a young man in Lasanod several years ago. The victim’s relatives in Mogadishu had reported the suspect to Banadir Police in Mogadishu where had been taken into custody and subsequently transferred to Puntland State.
A Puntland Sharia court has sentenced Jama to death for murder.