Johnson Kombian, nicknamed “Garkum,” was born into the Kombian family in 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 terrorizing 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.
His signature move included issuing threats to his victims in advance, which he executed during night-time attacks, making off with their belongings. In a short span of time, through a series of robberies and assaults across the Northern and Upper East regions, Johnson Kombian became a notorious figure synonymous with terror, particularly in the Garu-Tempane-Bawku areas of northern Ghana.
Due to his escalating criminal activities, Johnson Kombian became the target of intense police intelligence monitoring and surveillance aimed at his arrest. Eventually, he was apprehended and sentenced to five years in prison.
However, on January 15, 2010, at around 4:00 a.m., Johnson Kombian managed to escape from lawful custody. Despite efforts by prison authorities and police to recapture him, he remained at large.
While on the run, Kombian allegedly sent threatening messages to senior police officers, including regional commanders, who were involved in his initial capture and conviction.
On October 17, 2010, Johnson Kombian and his accomplices received intelligence that several police officers had been deployed to Nakpanduri. The gang planned and ambushed three officers, leading to a gun battle in which Constables Prince Agyare and Owusu Frimpong tragically lost their lives.
Despite initially surviving the gunfire, the officers were fatally shot when they emerged from their hideout, mistakenly believing their attackers had fled.
Following this incident, Johnson Kombian remained on the run until November 19, 2010, when a police informant lured him to Togo under the pretext that his girlfriend was critically ill. He was subsequently ambushed and arrested by Togolese police, who handed him over to Ghanaian authorities at the Aflao border.
On August 19, 2015, a seven-member jury at the Accra Fast Track High Court unanimously found Johnson Kombian guilty of conspiracy to commit a crime and the murder of Constables Prince Agyare and Owusu Frimpong. He was sentenced to 30 years for conspiracy to commit murder and death by hanging for murder.
These facts were sourced from a report by Ghana Business News.
