IPNEWS: The Ministry of Justice has disclosed that the arrest and subsequent stand-down of Monrovia Central Prison Deputy Superintendent for Operations, Jackson K. Kolako, were linked to an ongoing National Security Agency (NSA) investigation into an alleged transnational drug trafficking operation.
The Ministry’s clarification comes after Officer Kolako publicly challenged the circumstances surrounding his arrest on August 1 and his subsequent removal from duty.
Rather than directly disputing Kolako’s account, the Ministry said it would not engage in a public exchange with him while the national security investigation remains active. However, it acknowledged that his statement attributed the decision to specific individuals and, in the Ministry’s view, presented an incomplete account of what led to his arrest.
According to the Ministry, Attorney Siafa Bahn Kemokai did not independently initiate the investigation or personally order Kolako’s arrest. The directive, it said, was issued by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General after information was received during the course of the NSA investigation, with Kemokai acting to implement the directive.
Alleged intimidation at central prison
The Ministry said NSA personnel went to the Monrovia Central Prison on August 1 to interview an inmate as part of the investigation.
It said information subsequently provided to the Ministry indicated that Kolako had interacted with the inmate before investigators attempted to interview him.
According to the Ministry, the inmate initially refused to cooperate with investigators. After Kolako was removed from the facility, however, the inmate allegedly spoke with investigators and reported that he had felt intimidated by the prison officer.
The Ministry did not provide details of the alleged interaction or explain what specifically the inmate claimed Kolako said or did.
More significantly, the Ministry said the NSA had also received intelligence concerning alleged interactions between Kolako and an individual outside the prison, including information that money was allegedly being provided to him through that person.
The Justice Ministry stressed that the allegations have not been established as facts.
Instead, it described them as issues currently being investigated and verified by the NSA.
NSA investigation raises broader security concerns
The Ministry said Kolako’s removal was prompted by concerns that an active national security investigation could have been obstructed or compromised.
It said the decision was therefore not based on a final determination of wrongdoing but on the need to protect the integrity of the investigation while investigators establish what actually occurred.
The stand-down order dated August 3, according to the Ministry, expressly states that the measure is pending the outcome of an investigation.
The Ministry consequently emphasized that the order does not constitute a finding of guilt or a final disciplinary action against Kolako.
The development nevertheless raises serious questions about the security of investigations involving alleged drug trafficking within Liberia’s correctional system, particularly where investigators require access to inmates who may possess information relevant to a wider transnational investigation.
Ministry rejects claims of personal or arbitrary action
The Ministry strongly rejected any suggestion that Kolako’s arrest was personal, arbitrary, or undertaken at the initiative of Kemokai.
It said the action was connected to an ongoing NSA investigation and authorized at the appropriate level within the Ministry of Justice.
The Ministry also pointed to Kolako’s approximately twelve years of service within the corrections system, arguing that his experience should make him aware that intelligence and national security operations are conducted on a strict need-to-know basis.
According to the Ministry, an officer’s position inside a correctional facility does not automatically give him access to every intelligence operation being conducted there, particularly when advance disclosure could compromise an investigation.
No presumption of guilt
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, the Ministry sought to distinguish between intelligence under investigation and proven misconduct.
It said Kolako should not be considered guilty simply because allegations have been made against him.
At the same time, the Ministry warned that no officer, regardless of rank, assignment or length of service, should interfere with, obstruct or compromise a lawful investigation into transnational drug trafficking.
The Ministry encouraged Kolako to submit any evidence or information supporting his public claims to the appropriate authorities so that it can be considered as part of the ongoing investigation.
Kolako remains on stand-down
For now, Kolako will remain on stand-down while the NSA continues its investigation.
The Ministry said the eventual findings will determine whether further administrative or legal action is warranted.
The statement also signals that the government is deliberately withholding additional details about the case because the investigation remains active.
The Justice Ministry maintained that investigations involving transnational drug trafficking constitute serious national security matters and warned that public accusations, personalities and speculation should not be allowed to interfere with the investigative process.
The latest clarification places Kolako’s case directly within Liberia’s broader and increasingly sensitive investigation into alleged international drug trafficking networks and possible links within the country’s security and correctional institutions.
However, until the NSA completes its investigation and establishes the facts, the allegations against Kolako remain allegations—not findings of guilt.If you want, I can also turn this into a much harder investigative-style story, focusing on what the Ministry’s statement reveals—and what it conspicuously leaves unanswered.
