Magistrate L. Ben Barco of the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia, on February 5, 2025, sent to prison two defendants linked to the arson attack on the Capitol Building on December 18, 2024 after police charged and forwarded them to court.
Defendants Kivi Bah, alias Kaba, and Jerry Pokah, commonly known as Tyrese, were charged with multiple offenses earlier as in the case of first prime suspects Thomas Etheridge and Eric Susay.
The charges range from Arson, Release of Destructive Forces, Reckless Burning or Exploding, Criminal Mischief, Recklessly Endangering Another Person, Criminal Facilitation, Criminal Conspiracy and Criminal Solicitation.
Police investigators alleged that the arson attack on December 18, 2024, was discovered prior to December 17, 2024, where Defendant John Nyanti who is at large, was found to have been engaged in discussions with defendants Kivi Bah, Jerry Pokah and others to be identified, in order to set the Capitol Building ablaze.
John Nyanti is said to have allegedly invited defendants Bah and Pokah to Monrovia for the purpose of continuing their discussion to burn down the Capitol.
The charge sheet alleged that upon arrival to town on the same date (December 17, 2024) Defendants Bah and Pokah met with John Nyanti at Jallah Town (precisely around the used cars parking lot, adjacent the old Health Ministry).
Police investigation said while around the used cars parking lot, they (Kivi Bah, Jerry Pokah and John Nyanti) continued the discussion and in the process, Defendants Jerry, John and Kivi were hungry and wanted money to buy food to eat.
Based upon Pokah’s request, Nyanti placed a telephone call to a person to be identified and thereafter, a white four-door (double cabin) pick-up without license plate arrived within the vicinity, and Nyanti went to the vehicle and came back with one hundred United States (US$100) which he handed over to him (Jerry Pokah) who subsequently shared with Bah.
The investigation further discovered that when defendant Pokah received the US$100, Nyanti asked them to follow him around the Capitol Building, directly around the pedestrian gate, opposite Deeper Life Church, where they met with some of their cohorts (Thomas Isaac Etheridge, Amos Koffa and others to be identified).
At this point, Koffa presented an unspecified amount of money to Nynati who gave same to defendant Bah to purchase gasoline which he, Bah, claimed to have purchased from Capitol By-pass from an unidentified street seller on the same date (December 17, 2024).
Following their alleged arrangement and verbal commitment, on December 18, 2024, during the early morning hours, Defendant Bah returned with the gasoline that he had earlier purchased and joined the other co-defendants/ conspirators (Thomas Etheridge, John Nyanti, Amos Koffa, Stephen Broh and others to be identified) on the grounds of the Capitol Building where they waited for the arrival of James Mulbah whose job responsibility is to open the corridor doors of the representatives wing every morning and lock it every evening.
The investigation revealed that on December 18, 2024, about 5:40am, Mr. James Mulbah entered the compound of the Capitol Building and started opening the doors between the east and north of the Capitol Building. While still opening the other doors, the defendants surreptitiously walked into the building, spilled the gasoline on the 3rd&4th floors respectively, where they used matches to set ablaze the floors.
Based on that, defendant Bah was arrested at St. Paul Bridge Community on January 23, 2025, informed of his constitutional rights, and was represented by Atty. Martin Carlon, one of the public defenders of Montserrado County.
During police investigation, Bah narrated that prior to the December 10, 2024, John Nyanti and Osaka, to be identified, asked him to come to the Capitol Building on December 10, 2024; he left New Kru Town and went to the Capitol Building, but while attempting to enter the compound, he was stopped by an officer of the Liberia National Police.
Defendant Bah narrated that he and his friends remained around the Capitol Building until the compound was clear and John Nyanti went to him (Bah) and the others to meet with Hon. Dixon W. Sebo. They told Sebo that they were hungry and he gave money to one of his office staff to find food for them at the Senate restaurant. Defendant Kivi Bah revealed that when they got through eating, they asked Hon. Sebo for transportation to go back home (New Kru Town).
