Published: February 11, 2025
Kakata, Margibi County – Journalists Elvis Gono and Philip Gbana have been remanded at the Kakata Central Prison on the orders of Margibi County Attorney Deddeh Wilson. The decision follows their reported failure to produce a woman for whom they had served as guarantors.
Elvis Gono is the Upper Margibi Correspondent for the Liberia Broadcasting System, while Philip Gbana serves as Public Relations Officer for Kakata City and is also a reporter for Classic FM.
However, the journalists argue that they were never given prior notice to turn the woman over. They were arrested on Monday afternoon while covering the opening of the February term of the 13th Judicial Circuit Court.
Despite interventions from key stakeholders, including Kakata City Mayor Eddie Gbarngawoe Seyboe and Representative Emmanuel Yarh, County Attorney Wilson remained firm in her decision, insisting that the journalists be jailed.
The situation has been widely viewed as an attack on press freedom, with critics arguing that Attorney Wilson’s insistence on detaining the journalists suggests a personal vendetta against the media in Margibi County.
When contacted, Attorney Wilson stated that the journalists had been repeatedly instructed by the Public Defense Counsel to produce the woman but failed to comply. She maintained that their arrest and subsequent detention were necessary, adding that they would be released as soon as they present the woman for whom they had stood as guarantors.
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