Hot Pursuit Underway After Scores Of Inmates Stormed Out Of The Kakata Central Prison
Citizens In Margibi County Raise Security Alarm, Just After Guilty Verdict In $181K Drug Case Was Followed By Mass Prison Break
PHOTO: (L-R) Escaping prisoners on the run and FLASHBACK- those convicted early September in connection with RIA drug case
By Abraham K. Kollie, Email: kollieabraham23@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia—The Liberia National Police (LNP) has confirmed that a major jailbreak at the Kakata Central Prison in Margibi County, but has not said what led to the mass escape of inmates.
As the hot pursuit for the escapees continue, some 77 inmates still at large, including a Nigerian national who was recently convicted in a high profile drug trafficking case and was awaiting sentencing been rearrested.
Police Spokesperson, Sam Collins, told reporters that 99 inmates escaped from the facility, while 22 have since been re-arrested including a Nigerian national who was recently convicted in a high profile drug trafficking case.
According to Collins, the jailbreak occurred when inmates were taken outside their cells but still within the prison compound for routine sunbathing. They took advantage of the situation and fled the facility.
“The inmates were taken outside their cells, but remained within the prison compound, for sunbathing. They took advantage of the situation and escaped,” Collins told Spoon.
In a troubling development, Collins said the identities of the escaped inmates cannot immediately be released because the prisoners allegedly destroyed prison records containing their identities before fleeing.
“The Ministry of Justice is working to reconstruct the records to identify the escaped inmates, after which their names and other relevant information will be released to the public to assist authorities in recapturing those still at large,” he said.
CONVICTED NIGERIAN DRUG TRAFFICKER AMONG ESCAPEES
Among those expected to have been in custody at Kakata Central Prison is Tony Obi, a Nigerian national who was convicted along with two senior officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) in a US$181,008 drug trafficking case. Jury Finds 2 LDEA Senior Officers And A Nigerian Guilty In Over US$181,000 Drug Trafficking Case – News Public Trust
On September 7, 2026, a 12-member jury panel at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County, presided over byHis Honor Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie, returned a guilty verdict against:
Special Agent Joe Logan Senior LDEA Officer assigned at Roberts International Airport, Agent Lovette Flowers a Senior Female LDEA Officer and Tony Obi Nigerian National were at the Kakata central prison.
The case stemmed from the interception of drugs from Quita Dolo Kosso in July 2025 at Roberts International Airport after she arrived on a Kenyan Airways flight from Thailand. Prosecution told jurors that Kosso and fellow LDEA officer Abdullah Sherrif were part of a drug syndicate. Both have already been convicted and sentenced Kosso to 5 years and Sherrif to 2 years.
State lawyers, who presented four witnesses during the month-long trial, alleged that out of 14 plates of cocaine confiscated, defendants Logan and Flowers took 4 plates and sold them on the black market, and that LDEA officers received US$10,000 in bribes from the cartel.
“The last people who should be involved in drug crime are LDEA officers because they were trained to detect and fight it,” the prosecution told jurors. “These officers conspired with their Nigerian counterpart, Tony Obi, in organized drug crime.”
The defense had urged acquittal, citing reasonable doubt and discrepancies over whether 10 or 14 plates were confiscated.
After two hours of final arguments, the jury returned a guilty verdict. Judge Willie was expected to sentence the three convicts in the coming days. However, following the jailbreak at Kakata, sources confirm that Tony Obi is among the inmates who escaped before sentencing could take place but rearrested by the joint security.
The LDEA officers, Logan and Flowers, were reportedly being held at a separate facility.
MARGIBI RESIDENTS RAISE SECURITY CONCERNS
The jailbreak has sparked serious security concerns among citizens in Margibi County, especially in Kakata City, where residents fear that dangerous criminals, including convicted drug traffickers, are now back in their communities.
Many are questioning how 99 inmates could escape from a central prison and how records could be ex destroyed, calling on the Ministry of Justice and the Liberia National Police to act swiftly.
Meanwhile, law enforcement authorities say efforts continue to locate and recapture the remaining 77 inmates.
The public is being urged to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious persons to the nearest police station.