Monrovia – Kivi Bah, one of the defendants in the high-profile Capitol Building arson case, was rushed to the John F. Kennedy Memorial Medical Center (JFK) on Friday under emergency circumstances, sources at the Monrovia Central Prison confirmed to FrontPageAfrica.
By Willie N. Tokpah
The development came just hours after the prison superintendent submitted a formal report to Criminal Court “A” Judge Roosevelt Willie, detailing Bah’s condition and the circumstances surrounding his sudden health scare.
Bah, along with several co-defendants, has been detained at the Monrovia Central Prison while awaiting trial for the December 2024 arson attack on the Capitol Building. The case has attracted widespread attention, not only because of the gravity of the charges but also due to allegations of torture and abuse while in state custody.
Earlier this month, defense lawyers filed a motion before Criminal Court “A,” seeking an independent medical examination to investigate claims that their clients were tortured and sexually abused while in the custody of the National Security Agency (NSA). The defense alleged that the accused were “sodomized, beaten, and psychologically abused” to extract confessions linking them to the arson attack.
The court, however, ordered that all medical examinations be conducted at JFK, the government-run hospital, rather than by an independent or foreign medical body as requested by the defense.
Legal analysts suggest Friday’s medical emergency could bolster the defense’s claims and intensify calls for an independent probe into alleged rights violations by state actors.
Officials’ Silence, Conflicting Accounts
When contacted by FrontPageAfrica, the head of the prison, Varney Lake declined to comment and referred all inquiries to the Ministry of Justice.
Solicitor General Cllr. Augustine Fayiah, reached briefly by phone, said he was unwell and unable to speak on the matter.
Assistant Minister of Corrections, Atty. Gabriel F. Ndupellar, later told FrontPageAfrica that Friday’s summary report showed an inmate fell ill and was taken to JFK for treatment around 5:20 p.m., before being returned to the prison in stable condition. However, he did not confirm whether the inmate was connected to the Capitol Arson trial. He described the incident as “routine,” noting that such medical emergencies occasionally occur among inmates.
Although that gravity of illness is yet to be fully known, sources suggest Bah’s hospitalization could prompt urgent judicial intervention and influence the court’s pending ruling on whether to allow an independent medical evaluation.
FrontPageAfrica will continue to follow this developing story.
