By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
ZWEDRU, Liberia- For allowing two inmates to escape from their custody, the Ministry of Justice has with immediate effect dismissed two correction officers at the National Correction Palace, the maximum security prision in the southeastern Grand Gedeh County.
The Ministry said it took the administrative action because the prison officers failed to restraining an inmate they were taking to hospital for medical treatment.
The two dismissed officers, T. Victor Dolu and and Olive Banyea, while taking the inmate to the Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital in Zwedru, allowed the inmate to walk by himself without being handcuffed.
The inmate, Zubah Kalivogai was convicted for murder in Bong County in November 2016 but the crime was committed in Lofa County and sentenced to life imprisonment but he was transferred to Zwedru national correction palace to serve his sentence.
According to the Justice Ministry, while on their way to the hospital, the convict asked them to take him to his girlfriend’s house for money which they agreed to the inmate’s demand. And he was taken to the girlfriend’s house but upon their arrival at the girlfriend house, he left them outside and went in where he and his girlfriend used their back door and escaped.
The two correction officers were earlier subjected to police investigation and they were later charged and sent to court on multiple charges.
During their court proceeding at the Zwedru Magisterial court, Victor T. Dolu pleaded guilty and he was sentenced to four months and ordered to paid four hundred United States dollars why Olive Beayan was acquitted.