A TAMALE Circuit Court has sentenced a 35-year-old unemployed man, Theophilus Arkoli, to 30 months in prison in hard labour. The convict, who was charged on three counts of escaping from lawful custody, destroying state property and stealing, had 18 months for the first count, 12 months for the second and the third counts. He is expected to serve the first two concurrently before serving the last count of stealing. Arkoli was one of the four persons who broke jail in a Tamale police cell but luck eluded him and he was re-arrested by the police at his hideout at Hill Top, a suburb of Tamale. He was accordingly arraigned last Thursday soon after his arrest. His other colleagues who are currently at large are being sought by the police who have promised to re-arrest them. It would be recalled that a fortnight ago, four out of five suspects in detention in the Tamale police cells escaped through a hole they jointly dug in the wall of the cell. The incident occurred on the dawn of Monday August 16, 2010. The four had been charged for stealing and were being processed for court before escaping from police custody. The fifth suspect who refused to join the rest has since been granted bail. DAILY GUIDE investigations have revealed that the building housing the police cells is no longer strong enough to accommodate hardened criminals. Sources disclosed that the clay building, which was constructed over 50 years ago, has never seen major repairs and rehabilitation by successive governments. The corrugated iron roofing sheets are tearing apart while the wood used has been infested by dangerous insects, drastically reducing its lifespan. The building in general is very weak, with a leaking roof and can collapse under the pressure of any natural disaster like a rainstorm. From Stephen Zoure, Tamale