KAKATA, Liberia — A Nigerian convicted of drug trafficking has been recaptured after escaping from a prison in Liberia during a jailbreak that prompted a security operation across Margibi County.
Tony Obina was among several inmates who fled Kakata Central Prison on Sunday, September 20, 2026, before reportedly being apprehended by local residents and returned to custody.
A video circulated by West Trybe News Media showed Obina, dressed only in blue underwear, being escorted towards the correctional facility alongside another man.
The circumstances of their recapture were not immediately established.
Authorities Launch Search for Escaped Prisoners
Liberia’s Ministry of Justice confirmed the jailbreak and announced that the country’s Joint Security had begun an operation to locate the escaped inmates.
In a statement issued following the incident, the ministry said the Bureau of Corrections and Rehabilitation was reviewing prison records to establish how many inmates had escaped and confirm their identities.
The authorities did not initially release a verified number of escapees.
The ministry said identifying information would be made public after the verification exercise to assist security agencies in locating prisoners who remained at large.
Residents were urged to report information about the fugitives to the police or other security authorities.
The ministry also warned members of the public against attempting to apprehend escaped prisoners themselves or providing them with shelter.
Obina Convicted Alongside Two Drug Enforcement Officers
Before the jailbreak, Obina had been convicted by a 12-member jury at the 13th Judicial Circuit Court in Margibi County in a drug-trafficking case.
Two officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency, Joe Logan and Lovette Flowers, were convicted alongside him.
The case involved drugs reportedly valued at approximately US$181,008, equivalent to more than 63.2 million Liberian dollars.
The Ministry of Justice said security agencies would provide further information as the operation to locate and return the remaining escapees to custody continued.
