Monrovia – A Sergeant of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) has been electrocuted and is now hospitalized at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center in Sinkor, Monrovia.
Report by Obediah Johnson, [email protected]
Sgt. George Kaifa was injured on Saturday, October 19, 2019 while serving his post at the Barclay Training Center (BTC) barrack in Monrovia.
He was rushed to the hospital by few unidentified soldiers of the AFL as a result of the severity of burns sustained from the electrocution.
Photographs in the possession of FrontPageAfrica show severe burns on the chest, legs, and arms of the victim.
Hospital sources revealed that the situation is critical and needs advanced medical care.
Sgt. Kaifa has been serving the AFL for more than a decade, sources said.
Going Without Food
Eyewitnesses recalled that on the night of October 19, 2019, Sergeant Kaifa was manning one of the towers located in the compound of the BTC barrack.
While serving duty, the victim reportedly became hungry after waiting for several hours for his ration to be delivered by chefs assigned at the Ministry of National Defense.
It became unbearable for him and he then opted to find food elsewhere. Sources said Sgt. Kaifa mistakenly touched the high tension electrical wire and was severally electrocuted.
Another source at the Ministry of National Defense disclosed that the victim instantly dropped, with an unspecified gun, hanging on one of his shoulders.
Family members’ concerns
The unfortunate situation has claimed the attention of the officer’s family members, who are worried and distressed.
The family members are also calling for advanced medical care for their ailing relative.
Speaking to FrontPageAfrica in the Borough of New Kru Town on Monday, October 28, the elder sister of the victim, Evelyn Kaifa, said the family’s paramount concern is the health of victim.
“Our brother said he was on duty on Saturday assigned at the tower. He didn’t know the wire was a tension wire. The gun that was on him burst his arm. My brother is a first class citizen; things are not ok with him. The man is a soldier and he was on duty. He needs advanced treatment,” she stated.
For his part, the eldest brother of the victim, Makundu Elton Kaifa urged the Ministry of National Defense to provide proper medical care to the victim.
He noted that since the unfortunate situation, the condition of his brother has not improved to a greater extent.
“Since my brother was admitted, his condition is still critical. We did the test to another hospital and the result came out. But we are not seeing anything. He’s swelling up and the Minister of Defense and others must help us to take our brother to Ghana for proper medical treatment,” he said.
‘Unfortunate, Sad’
For a little over a week, the Ministry of National Defense was tightlipped on the incident.
Assistant Minister for Public Affairs, Sam Collins, on Tuesday, October 27 described the incident as unfortunate and sad.
He could not say whether or not Sgt. Kaifa will be taken out of Liberia for advanced medical treatment.
“We are waiting for a full medical report for other decisions to be made,” Collins told FPA via mobile phone.
Meanwhile, a medical practitioner, who preferred not to be named, pointed out that surgeries may likely be performed to help save the life of the victim, who got electrocuted while on duty.