SWAKOPMUND - The daring, daylight escape from the Swakopmund police station holding cells of four dangerous suspects accused of murder has resulted in a nationwide manhunt for the fugitives by the Namibian police.

The escapees have been identified as Stefanus Daniel and Lazarus Fabian, both 24, who were in police custody for a double murder committed in 2017 in Swakopmund, and Matias Nujoma, 25, and Ngenokesho Stefanus, 23.  

Crime coordinator of the Namibian Police Force in Erongo, Deputy Commissioner Erastus Iikuyu, said the four suspects cut the burglar bars of their holding cell window with an unknown object and then made their escape out of the cell.
“We don’t know exactly what time they escaped but it was noticed between 14h00 and 14h48 which is the time we change our shift,” said likuyu.

Iikuyu yesterday said the suspects might currently be in Windhoek, but might be heading to Angola to escape the full wrath of the law.

Daniel and Fabian were in custody for the alleged murder of the elderly Swakopmund couple, Siegfried and Roswietha Strzelecki, whom they viciously attacked and robbed during a housebreaking in 2017.

Siegfried could successfully identify one of his attackers, who had previously worked for them, but he died due to complications resulting from the attack.  His wife died two weeks after the brutal attack.  The two escapees were in custody along with a third suspect in the attack.

Nujoma and Stephanus were in custody after they killed a man in March 2016 at Walvis Bay.  The duo along with a third suspect allegedly attacked and stabbed a security guard Joseph Ndeyapo Hekandjo while he was seated in the back of a taxi parked in front of AP Lounge in Kuisebmond.

Meanwhile, Iikuyu yesterday urged people all over Namibia to be on the lookout for the suspects and alert the nearest police station.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of the escapees may contact Iikuyu on 0812464757, Detective Warrant Officer Hermuth Marine on 0817653608 or 0812031808, or any nearest police station.