Criminals Jail Prison Supt. in Gbarnga

By: C. Winston Kerkula, II

 

Forum
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

November 16, 2004

Credible information reaching this paper from Gbarnga City, Bong County, indicate that criminals who are serving various jail sentences for crimes they might have committed have broken the cell.

The criminals, according to our correspondent broke jail on grounds that they were detained over a prolonged period of time without trial.

When interviewed by our reporter prior to their escape some of the detainees maintained that they were never summoned or convicted by any court of competent jurisdiction before being detained.

One of the detainees explained his ordeal that in a nearby village in Sanoyea District, Bong County, the body of a man, who get drowned was discovered and he was arrested on suspicion of being one of the perpetrators of the crime and has since been in detention for more than five consecutive years without investigation.

Many of the citizens who spoke to our correspondent in the area expressed fear that the crime rate is again reaching an alarming proportion.

Recently, the compound of the United Methodist Church at Kula Village was also vandalized while tables, chairs and other valuables were made away with by criminals without any arrest.

Before escaping, the detainees put into prison Mr. Sumo Mulbah, prison superintendent and threatened to kill him if he attempted to point then out in the near future.

When contacted about the provision of maximum-security protection at the cell, the UNMIL Bangladeshi Commander only identified as Col. Kwaiser, said, his men do not serve guard at detention centers.

© 2004: This article is copyrighted by the Forum newspaper (Monrovia, Liberia) and distributed by The Perspective (Atlanta, Georgia). All rights reserved.