Tesano Scare: Prison Bus with Faulty Brakes Crashes into Police Station Wall—Driver Injured, Inmates Safe
A near disaster struck the heart of Accra on Tuesday afternoon when a prison bus with faulty brakes crashed into the outer wall of the Tesano Police Station, raising fresh alarms about the dangerous state of logistics within the Ghana Prisons Service.
The bus, used for transporting inmates from courts and hospitals, had just completed its routine rounds when its brakes reportedly failed without warning. In a desperate attempt to stop the vehicle, the driver veered to avoid a crowded street, collided with a private car, and eventually crashed into the police station’s boundary wall.
The driver sustained injuries and was rushed to the Police Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment. Medical officials report that he is in stable condition. Thankfully, all the prisoners on board, along with the prison officers accompanying them, escaped the crash unharmed.
The bus, which is said to be over nine years old and visibly worn out, has once again drawn attention to the dire transportation challenges facing the Ghana Prisons Service. Officers say many of the vehicles currently in use are old, overworked, and barely roadworthy—yet they are still used daily due to lack of replacements.
“This is not the first time we’ve had a scare like this,” said a senior officer off record. “But what will it take for action to be taken? A death? A mass breakout? Something has to change.”
Public safety advocates and concerned citizens are calling on the government and benevolent individuals to urgently intervene. The fear is that continued reliance on such unfit vehicles poses a grave risk—not only to prison staff and inmates, but to the general public as well.
“There’s no excuse for this level of neglect,” said one social media user. “If we can’t even keep prison buses on the road safely, then we’re failing as a country.”
Many are calling for a complete overhaul of the Prisons Service’s transport system, describing it as a ticking time bomb that needs immediate defusing. Though the state continues to cite financial constraints, critics argue that life and public security must never be placed second to budget limitations.
An official investigation into the crash has been initiated, but observers stress that unless real investment is made into Ghana’s prison infrastructure—especially transport—more accidents may be waiting just around the corner.
