Liberia: Prison Officer Wants Cocaine Suspects Held Outside Liberia, Hints Prison Break

What the report says

A senior prison official in Liberia is publicly challenging the police operation that led to his removal from Monrovia Central Prison earlier this month, saying it was handled in a way that could have sparked unrest at a facility holding about 1,800 inmates, including people linked to a major drug case. The account comes from Jackson K. Kolako, the prison’s deputy superintendent for operations, as reported by The Liberian Investigator and distributed by AllAfrica.

Kolako said officers arrested him on Aug. 1 while he was on duty and later held him at police headquarters for several days. He alleged that the operation was carried out in front of prison staff and in a manner that could have encouraged resistance or even a prison break. He also said he was required to surrender his phones and passwords during the investigation. His statement asked President Joseph N. Boakai to consider moving detainees tied to the drug case to a more secure facility outside Liberia while they await trial.

The Ministry of Justice said Kolako’s removal was based on a directive from the justice minister after information emerged during an NSA investigation. According to the ministry, the action is a stand-down order pending inquiry, not a final finding of wrongdoing. It also said investigators were examining possible contacts between Kolako and an inmate, as well as allegations of outside financial dealings, but stressed these claims have not been proven.

The dispute matters because it touches both prison security and Liberia’s broader anti-drug campaign, which the ministry says it is trying to protect while the investigation continues.