Authorities announced on Monday that numerous prisoners had escaped over the weekend from a maximum security facility outside of Liberia’s capital.
According to a statement from the Justice Ministry, a breach in the prison security system allowed the 47 prisoners to escape. Situated 55 kilometers (34 miles) northeast of Monrovia, the capital, lies the hamlet of Kakata, home to the penitentiary.
“We are extremely concerned about this incident and are taking all necessary measures to ensure the recapture of the escaped inmates,” the ministry stated.
According to the ministry, more officers from the nation’s national police have been sent out to help in the hunt for the runaways.
Inmates in Liberia’s prisons frequently face severe overcrowding and inadequate access to basic medical treatment and food. One year prior, a jail in Monrovia ran out of food, and two other prisons briefly stopped taking inmates because of food shortages.
A large number of inmates are also detained without a trial. In November 2022, a U.N. report found that 73% of the nationwide prison population were pretrial detainees.
(Africanews)
