Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – Passengers travelling from Buchanan to Sinoe and Grand Kru Counties were furious on Friday morning with police officers, setting up road block in protest at the main Buchanan-Monrovia highway junction.
The angry travelers accused officers of the Liberian National Police assigned in the port city of frequent harassment after one female passenger reportedly lost her handbag containing US$1,000 and LD$50,000 on Thursday night.
One passenger said it was about 5:00 AM when over 15 persons commuting from Monrovia and Margibi County were stopped in Buchanan by unidentified police officers who demanded unlicensed drivers to pay US$75.00 as bribe before they were allowed passage.
The passenger said when the drivers complained they couldn’t afford the bribe; the officers then impounded their vehicles and seized their keys under pretence that it was late hours for vehicles to ply the road to the south east.
The officers cited the condition of the Timbo Bridge, the bridge at the boundary of Grand Bassa and Rivercess Counties which was recently refurbished after collapsing several weeks ago.
Abu Somah, one of the affected drivers, alleged his vehicle was seized by the police because he refused to pay the bribe.
“When we were asked by the police to park our cars, all the passengers got down (disembarked) around 3:00 am,” Somah said, adding that thieves then took advantage of the situation.
“The criminal took away one of the passengers’ bag that had US$1,000 and 50,000 Liberian dollars.”
He said the female owner of the stolen bag was later taken to the hospital because she complained that her blood pressure was going too high after “the huge amount of money was taken away from her by unknown men”.
The situation sparked protest as angry passengers set up road blocks for over four hours at the main junction leading to the Monrovia highway.
The incident disrupted normal traffic while the protesters insisted that the police were the cause of passenger’s losses.
Responding to the allegations, Siakor Freeman, the county police commander, said preventing vehicles from travelling at that time was their responsibility in protecting lives and properties.
Mr. Freeman said the police were instructed by the Public Works Ministry to monitor vehicles using the bridge, especially heavy vehicle.
“At night, these drivers come in numbers along with big, big trucks and they don’t take time on the bridge that was temporally renovated by the ministry of Public Works.“
“So we told the drivers to wait until day before going to the bridge but we didn’t ask anyone for money to pass,” Commander Freeman said, also denying allegations that police frequently demand huge bribes from drivers.
When Grand Bassa County Superintendent Joseph Levi Demah intervened and promised the angry passengers a probe into the matter, the protesters then vacated the road.
Elton Wroinbee Tiah, FPA Contributor