PHOTO: Gbarnga Central Prison
By Emmannuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- Justice authorities are appealing to local community dwellers to work with them, as they try to re-arrest 12 inmates who escaped from the Gbarnga Central Prison in the central Bong County.
The inmates broke jail in the early morning hours of Wednesday March 17, 2021.
Bong County Attorney Jonathan Flomo, said the inmates used hack saw to cut through the steel bars at the back of the prison and took off a tap before making away.
County Attorney Jonathan Flomo
Atty. Flomo also spoke of limited men power at the prison, saying at the time of the jail break only four guards were on duty: three males and a female.
Addressing a news conference Wednesday at the 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Gbarnga, he said they have complained without numbers about the prison condition and the lack of manpower without any remedy being provided.
Atty. Flomo said the runaway inmates were all serving pretrial detention on various charges including murder, armed robbery, theft of property, burglary, terroristic threat, criminal mischief, drug abuse, among others.
He described the escapees as hardcore criminals, saying the joint security was working to have them nabbed.
But he pointed out that their stride to re-arrest the escapees could be further dampened by lack of logistics, as the Gbarnga prison locally referred to as ‘The College’, does not even have a vehicle of its own.
“The reduction in the wave of armed robberies, burglaries and other crimes is due to the fact that we have a very good number of them behind bars. And now that they are out again, I think it is dangerous for all of us”, the county’s chief prosecutor said.
Those on the run are Binda Sackie, Junior Miller, Paul Sackie, Konah Varmie, Jusu Kromah and Eric Telee.
Others are Habbakuk Kerkulah, Moses Kerkulah, Darrus Barpeen, Emmanuel Colars, charged with Theft of Property and Samuel Mulbah. Reporter Garmah Never Lomo contributed to this report