Forty-seven inmates over the weekend escaped from a maximum security prison in Liberia’s Margibi County.
The county is a rural area east of the capital Monrovia. On Monday officers were deployed to help with the search for the prisoners.
Initial investigations suggested the inmates had managed to escape at the weekend because of a breach in the prison’s security system, the justice ministry said on Monday.
“The Ministry of Justice is deeply concerned about this incident and is taking all necessary measures to ensure the recapture of the escaped inmates,” it said in a statement.
The ministry has urged the public to remain calm and report any information that could help recapture the escaped prisoners.
The escaped inmates risk facing extra charges if they fail to hand themselves in at the nearest police station or to prison authorities.
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