Monrovia – Victims of alleged police brutality are calling on the Liberia National Police Inspector General, Patrick T. Sudue; Justice Minister Musa Dean and Chief Justice Francis S. Korkpor to intervene and investigate the police officers.
Report by Augustine T. Tweh, [email protected]
One of the victims, David Kollie, said he was brutalized by officer Jackson Z. Gardner of the Police Support Unit after he mistakeningly damaged his septic tank pipe.
Kollie, a resident of Capital By-Pass community, said the incident occurred in Bassa Community during the evening of March 25.
“I was passing near his (Jackson Z. Gardner) house when I stepped on a septic tank pipe that got damaged. And he insisted that I should fix the pipe and I told him that it was too late. So, out of a sudden he got angry and pushed me, and I dropped and sprung my leg. He later jumped on me and started beating on my head,” Kollie explained.
Kollie added that he was given about nine stiches on his head due to the severe injury sustained from the brutal flogging by officer Jackson.
Kollie said since he filed his complaint to the LNP’s professional standard division (PSD) on March 27, there has been no outcome from the investigation.
“Everyday when I go to the office of the PSD they will tell me go and come back, since then, nothing has been about done it,” Kollie said.
The PSD is responsible to investigate police misconduct such as violence against citizens, bribery, assault, and insult.
Investigation conducted by Frontpage Africa (FPA) finds that victim Kollie filed in his complaint to the office of the PSD on March 27, 2018, but an LNP officer told FPA that the case has been forwarded to the office of the police director for investigation.
Effort to contact officer Jackson for clarification did not materialized.
Meanwhile, another victim, Emmanuel Moore, has accused another officer, Jerome Togbah for manhandling him on Monday April 2.
Moore said he was attacked by the police officer during a quarrell with the officer’s wife for insulting his mother.
“His (Jerome) wife usually pass in our yard to get on the road, and my mother always passed in her yard to go at the back to preach to people in the community. She got angry while my mother have to passed in her yard, that’s how she started abusing her,” he said.
The 16-year-old said it was during the argument that officer Jerome arrived on the scene and started beating on his little brother, adding that in the process of intervening on his brother’s behalf, officer Jackson injured him in the face.
The mother of the victim, Mamie Moore said officer Jerome is always in the habit of beating on she and her children for no reason.
The victim’s mother, Mamie Moore recalled that back in 2016 officer Jerome severely beat on her when she was pregnant, which caused her to give birth to a pre-mature baby.
“Because of the beating, I gave birth when I was eight months and a half (81/2), that story still at the Professional Standard office. If this time nothing is done to give me justice, I will take my son’s picture and put it on a bulletin, stand in front of the Mansion, even if it takes me the whole year to do it just to get justice I will do it,” Madam Moore said.
When contacted, officer Jerome told FPA that the beef between he and Madam Moore started when he helped his uncle reclaim his land she was squatting on.
He accused said Madam Moore of always attacking him, his family and his tenants, something he said resulted to recent confrontation.
He further explained that Madam Moore was convicted and sentenced to one-year imprisonment for wasting acid on his girlfriend when he took her to court years back.
“I took Mamie Moore to court years back for wasting acid on my girlfriend and the court (Criminal Court ‘B’) convicted her to one-year imprisonment. But to my utmost surprise, Madam Moore has not been sentenced for the crime despite the court final judgment due to foul played,” Jerome said.