By Fidelis Togba & Jurael S. Cole
Johnsonville–August 9, 2025 is a day Roseline Tamba says she will never forget. A seller of used clothes in the bustling Redlight market, 49-year-old Roseline had just returned home after a long day of haggling with customers and collecting outstanding debts. She settled into her small living room, hoping for a quiet evening.
But her peace was shattered by a phone call from an unfamiliar Orange GSM number — a call she says changed her life forever.
“In the evening hours, I received a phone call from my son Albert but to my surprise it was a stranger requesting me for a sum of US$100 to be dropped at Stephen A. Tolbert Estate where he was at the time before releasing my son,” she said, tears streaming down her face.
“When I asked what is the problem and where my son is, the guy told me that your son came to me to sexually have him which I am not into and it’s not part of my lifestyle so I hold him captive until you can send US$100 for his release.”
Perplexed and momentarily frozen, Roseline quickly tried to gather the money to save her son.
“I decided to raise the amount to send it to the guy but before then, I received another phone call from the guy again. He redirected me and said I should come to Barnesville Town Hall premises.”
The cell number used was 0777665366.
Roseline, a mother of five, mounted a commercial motorcycle with her son-in-law and raced through evening traffic toward Barnesville.
“When I got there, my son was unconscious with bruises all over his body. We started asking questions but nobody could tell us anything; so we rushed to James Davies Hospital but they turned us down, and we later went to the JFK Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
A female eyewitness, who requested anonymity, said she saw officers of the LDEA beating Albert.
“The LDEA officers were calling him gay and he was beaten and dragged into the compound of the LDEA.”
Another eyewitness, a local money changer, said his friends observed the attack while he was attending customers.
“I wasn’t actually on the scene because I was attending to customers, but some of my friends who went to witness the incident told me the guy was gay — that’s why the officers were beating him.”
Albert’s death is part of a troubling trend. According to the 2024 Independent National Commission on Human Rights report, assaults, harassment, and hate speech against Liberia’s LGBTQ+ community are on the rise.
In September 2025, a teenager in Harper was lured to a home, beaten, and filmed naked. The video was then circulated on Facebook.
International events also fueled anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. During his second-term inaugural speech, U.S. President Donald Trump sparked transphobic attacks, according to activists.
Liberian law criminalizes same-sex sexual acts. Articles 14.74, 14.79, and 50.7 of the Penal Code of 1976 define “voluntary sodomy” as a first-degree misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison.
In 2024, Representative Johnson N. Williams introduced the Anti-Homosexuality Act, proposing harsher penalties for LGBTQ+ individuals and their allies.
Liberia is a signatory to the UDHR and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which guarantee equality and protection regardless of race, sex, creed, or sexual orientation.
“The penal code violates the country’s signature to these conventions and protocols as Liberian law criminalizes consensual same-sex sexual activity between consenting adults,” Kutaka D. Togba, Director of Human Rights in the Ministry of Justice, told FrontPage Africa and journalRAGE in 2019.
Albert Kerkula, 24, was a graduate of the Rancelia High School in Johnsonville. Family members say he was reserved and often found comfort in music.`
“He was very quiet and used to love wearing his earpods to listen to music,” a family member said.
Five Months Later: Justice Still Elusive
Five months after Albert’s death, Roseline is still waiting for answers.
“I want justice for my son,” she said in an interview with journalRAGE.
Eyewitnesses helped identify the alleged perpetrators as Bill Jabbah and Stephen Suah.
“The Police said they will do an autopsy — five months now there is no understanding. I want to bury my child, I can’t get justice for my son because I am a poor woman.”
Albert’s body remains in police custody pending an autopsy.
LEN Calls for Justice
The Liberia Equality Network (LEN) has also joined forces with Roseline to call for justice. A spokesperson for the organization said, “nobody should be killed for their perceived sexual oritentation and way of life.”
“We join the mother to call for justice for Albert and the many others who have been killed, beaten or discriminated against because of theor way of life.”
Bill Jabbah, Stephen Suah–Who Are They?
Bill Jabbah, a former LDEA agent, lives in the Bobo Island Community opposite Stephen Tolbert Estate. Albert reportedly met him on Facebook, and after several days of chatting, Jabbah invited him to his residence. The ransom call was made from his Orange number (0777665366).
When contacted via cellphone, he said he is aware of the allegation against. Quizzed whether would turn himself over to the LNP, the call dropped. Following up with further calls, the number was switched off.
Stephen Suah, his alleged accomplice, works with the Liberia National Fire Service and lives in the Stephen Tolbert Estate community. Residents report the two are often seen together.
An undercover journalRAGE investigation spotted both men near Barnesville Town Hall, despite a police notice declaring them wanted.
The LDEA, however, said Bill is not an employee but a volunteer. Orlando Demey, the agency spokesperson, said Bill had long been out of service.
“We have not yet been notified by our law enforcement counterpart,” Demey said when asked why the agency had not acted.
The Liberia National Fire Service says it is aware of Stephen Suah being linked to Albert Kerkula’s death and an internal investigation has been ordered. Col. Jackie Sieh, spokesperson of the LNFS, could not be reached for comment on the status of the investigation.
The accusation against the men bears a striking parallel to Cheeseman Cole, an ex-soldier of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
In 2020, Cole was accused of brutalizing over 27 individuals suspected of being gay, including the disappearance of two individuals who are yet to be found. Though he was arrested and subsequently charged, there appeared to be a bit of reluctance by the government to prosecute him.
Activists say they fear the men will meet a similar fate a la Cole and walk away scot free.
LNP, MoJ Indefinite on Autopsy and Investigation
Efforts to obtain clarity from the Liberia National Police on the delay in the autopsy and the status of the investigation were unsuccessful up to press time.
Deputy Police Commissioner for Crime Services, Simeon Frank in an interview in October 2025 said the LNP was awaiting a coroner’s report as the family had requested an autopsy. Though they have pinpointed prime suspects who were published on Facebook, they are yet to be arrested and brought in for questioning.
The spokesperson of the Ministry of Justice initially said they were unaware of the matter. A week later when contacted, Judoumu Kollie, Public Relation Director at the Ministry said the Assistant Minister of Litigation had contacted the County Attorney of Montserrado County for a status update. Kollie promised to update journalRAGE on his return to the country but failed to do so.
Eyewitness Ready to Testify
As the Police struggle to find its footing to bring closure to a grieving Roseline, a key eyewitness says he is willing to testify in court when the suspects are arrested and prosecuted.
The eyewitness, who said he prefers anonymity, said he met Bill Jabbah, Stephen Suah, an unconscious Albert and a group of people hovering over the deceased in Barnesville on August 9 2025.
“I got concerned. I asked what happened to this guy yall brought here in a boxer, no trousers, no shoes with white T-shirt and a jeans jacket,” he said. “So they told me the guy is a faggot and he ashamed because he and the guys have been in communication”
Said the eyewitness: He [Bill] showed me a couple of text messages between him and the guy. So I asked what happened from Stephen Tolbert [Estate] to Barnesville Townhall junction, they couldn’t give an account. So I bent over the guy and decided to check his pulse because I saw tears–those quiet tears–coming down his eyes. I checked his pulse and told him [Bill], ‘my man, nothing on this guy is working–all his pulse is dead.”
Not being satisfied, he said he queried the duo but got no response.
“What y’all did to the people’s son from where you took him from and brought him to town hall here. Only God knows what they did to him.”
Whether these thoughts will be met by a forensic investigation, it remains to be seen.
This story was funded by the European Union under the Liberia Media Empowerment Project (LMEP). Its contents are the sole responsibility of journalRAGE and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.