The sentence, handed down Monday by Assigned Circuit Judge Cllr. George S. Wiles Jr., includes five years of hard labor.

HARPER, Maryland County — The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court in Maryland County has sentenced Dougbe Newton and Friday Newton to 30 years in prison for the murder of Josephene Sieh, a woman who was allegedly accused of witchcraft.

By Peter P. Toe, Jr., peterp.toe@frontpageafricaonline.com

The sentence, handed down Monday, September 7, 2026 by Assigned Circuit Judge Cllr. George S. Wiles Jr., includes five years of hard labor.

The court also ordered the Clerk of Court to prepare permanent commitment orders for the two men to be detained at the Harper Central Prison.

The two were convicted following a jury trial in which they were found guilty of murder.

The case initially involved nine defendants, but charges against four were dismissed, leaving five to proceed to trial after pleading not guilty.

During the proceedings, Victor Brown later pleaded guilty, while Augustine Karyee and David Y. Sieh maintained their not-guilty pleas.

Following final arguments, the jury acquitted Karyee, returned a hung verdict in the case involving David Y. Sieh and found Dougbe Newton and Friday Newton guilty of murder.

According to the indictment, Josephene Sieh, a resident of Gbaken Town, karluway District, Maryland County was allegedly beaten to death on the night of August 8, 2025  after she was accused of witchcraft.

The indictment further alleged that Sieh was tied up during the assault before her body was dumped in a bush.

Her body was later discovered with visible bruises, according to the case presented before the court.

In its final ruling, the court said the evidence and circumstances presented during the trial established that Dougbe Newton and Friday Newton were responsible for Sieh’s murder.

The sentencing concludes the trial against the two men, while the hung verdict involving David Y. Sieh leaves his case unresolved.

Monrovia – The arrest of a man accused of killing a 19-year-old woman who reportedly left home to retrieve her belongings has rekindled hope for justice for a grieving family and residents of the Omega Old Field Community in Paynesville.

By Patience M. Jones

The Liberia National Police (LNP) has formally charged Augustine Lendeh, commonly known as “T-Boy,” with murder in connection with the death of Oretha “Dearest” Paye, whose body was discovered on July 29 near the suspect’s residence.

Police said Paye was found at approximately 8:15 p.m., about 26 feet from Lendeh’s home, with multiple injuries and no signs of life.

According to the LNP charge sheet, investigators were informed by the victim’s mother, Alice Flomo, that her daughter had gone to Lendeh’s residence to retrieve her personal clothing but never returned home.

The case quickly drew public attention after family members and residents alleged that the teenager had been killed after visiting the suspect’s home. Community members described the incident as both shocking and heartbreaking, prompting calls for authorities to ensure that the suspect faced justice.

Police investigators also revealed that evidence gathered during the investigation included information alleging that the accused had assaulted the victim on a previous occasion.

Following the incident, authorities say Lendeh fled Liberia, triggering a cross-border search.

His arrest was later secured in neighboring Sierra Leone through a coordinated operation involving the Liberia National Police Interpol Section and the Sierra Leone Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Sources familiar with the investigation said the operation was supported by Montserrado County District #3 Representative Sumo Mulbah, while Mohammed Fekia, CID Commander at the Kenema Police Depot in Sierra Leone, played a key role in locating and apprehending the suspect after he allegedly crossed the border.

Following his arrest, Lendeh was handed over to Liberian authorities. The Liberia National Police has now formally charged him with Murder, in violation of Section 14.1 of the New Penal Law of Liberia, and forwarded the case to court for prosecution.

Before the suspect’s arrest, the killing had sparked widespread concern across Omega and surrounding communities, with residents demanding a swift investigation and justice for the teenager.

While some community members had alleged that the victim was killed inside the suspect’s residence before her body was abandoned nearby, the Liberia National Police has not publicly confirmed those claims. The circumstances surrounding Paye’s death are expected to be examined during court proceedings.

For Paye’s family, however, the arrest represents the first significant step toward accountability. As the case heads to court, the community will be closely watching to see whether the judicial process delivers justice for a young woman whose final trip – to collect her belongings – ended in tragedy.

HARPER, Maryland County – A 54-year-old Maryland County resident, Abraham Collins, has been charged with murder and criminal facilitation, following the death of his wife, Beatrice Morrison after she gave birth at home in J.J. Community, according to a Liberia National Police charge sheet.

By Peter P. Toe, Jr.

The charges, filed under Case No. HP-197-07/26, allege that Mr. Collins prevented his wife from being taken to a medical facility while she was in active labor and instead instructed family members to keep her at home until he arrived.

According to the police investigation, Madam Morrison went into labor during the night of July 22 and remained in labor until the morning of July 23.

Family members reportedly suggested contacting a community health worker and taking her to J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital, but witnesses told investigators that Madam Morrison initially declined, saying she had previously delivered children at home and wanted to wait for her husband.

One of the witnesses, Teta Elliott, who assisted Madam Morrison during labor, told investigators that she urged those present to take the expectant mother to the hospital immediately after her water broke.

Madam Elliott further alleged that when she telephoned Mr. Collins, he instructed them not to transport Madam Morrison to the hospital but to wait until he arrived.

Police said Madam Morrison delivered the baby before Mr. Collins reached the home. Investigators allege that upon his arrival, Mr. Collins cut the newborn’s umbilical cord. Witnesses told investigators that shortly afterward Madam Morrison became unconscious, prompting Mr. Collins to contact Community Health Promoter Mariam Fofana for assistance.

Madam Fofana told investigators that she arrived to find Madam Morrison lying on the floor in a pool of blood, partially clothed and unresponsive, with the newborn beside her.

She immediately requested an ambulance to transport the mother and child to J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital.

According to Dr. Methodius George, Maryland County Health Officer, Madam Morrison was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital at approximately 2:07 p.m. Medical personnel also reported that the placenta had not been delivered, indicating serious childbirth complications.

Police further alleged that Mr. Collins admitted during questioning that he cut the baby’s umbilical cord and acknowledged preventing Madam Morrison from being taken to the hospital before medical personnel were eventually called.

Based on those findings, investigators charged him with murder under Section 14.1 and criminal facilitation under Section 10.2 of Liberia’s New Penal Code.

Meanwhile, Dr. George confirmed that the newborn remains in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at J.J. Dossen Memorial Hospital and is responding positively to treatment.

The case has since been forwarded to the Harper Magisterial Court for further proceedings. Mr. Collins remains in custody and is expected to answer the charges.

Under Liberian law, the charges against Mr. Collins are allegations and he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.

Summary:

• A 57-year-old grandmother in Todee District says she was raped in January. Seven months later, her case has not been heard, no government official has visited her, and the family of the accused has approached her with money and gifts, asking her to drop the case.
• The head of the SGBV unit at the Ministry of Justice concedes a lack of funds has meant his office has secured just two convictions in six years.
• The vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia calls the failure to deliver justice for victims “a national emergency.”

By Tetee Gebro, gender and health correspondent with New Narratives

TODEE DISTRICT, Montserrado County — The first time they came, they brought L$18,000  (US$100). The second time the family brought a lapa, a traditional cloth.

When the family, whose 24-year-old son had been accused by multiple witnesses of raping the 57-year-old grandmother in broad daylight in front of her small grandson,  arrived with the cloth, the woman says she understood exactly what it meant.

“The boy ma bring the lapa; That the cloth her son take from on me,” she said in Liberian English. “That the cloth she come put back on me.”

She understood what the money was for too. “They are begging so I can agree so they can free their son.”

Most victims in Liberia eventually accept the money. Though the grandmother says she badly wants justice, she is beginning to think she has no choice but to do the same.

The woman’s quest for justice, documented by FrontPage Africa/New Narratives since January when she and witnesses say the crime took place, has shown the extraordinary obstacles that any victim of sexual and gender-based violence in Liberia must overcome, particularly those from rural areas. She and her community have had to raise hundreds of dollars – including to transport and detain the accused. The case was delayed when the case files, in the paper-based system, were lost. Finally the case has stalled because neither the woman nor the court have the funds to bring her to the courtroom in Monrovia.

The case has been a window into the dysfunctional justice system which has seen just two convictions in six years, says Isaac George, head of the Sexual and Gender Based Violence unit at the Ministry of Justice.

George said his unit has about 300 reported cases on his books right now. The unit has no functional forensic DNA laboratory to test semen samples and no vehicle for field visits. The only evidence they have in most rape cases rests largely on physical examinations at One Stop rape centers, which defense lawyers routinely challenge in court as opinion rather than scientific proof.

After the grandmother’s case made national news, George spoke to her by phone and told her she would have to find someone to bring her to Monrovia.  

“We do not have the means of going to Todee,” George said. “We do not have the means of shuttling from here to Todee and back. No. I blame the system. It is a systemic problem within our justice sector.”

And now, with two terms of court gone, the accused rapist, a 24-year-old identified in court records as Mohammed Bah, is eligible for bail because his case has not been heard in a timely manner. Like an 8-year-old victim whose case New Narratives exposed in February, the grandmother may soon have to live with the alleged perpetrator back in her community.

“If she doesn’t show up after two terms of court, we have no choice but to release him,” George said. “That is it.”

“Women are no longer safe,” said Bowoulo Taylor Kelly, vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia. She said the pattern in this case has become routine. And defense lawyers are now learning to game the system.

“It is a new form — the defense moving in and saying failure to proceed — and then you see rape suspects walking freely and going back and committing more rape,” Taylor Kelly said. “And then we still have this perpetual cycle of SGBV going on because people see that they are not being dealt with within the full extent of the law.”

“This should not be happening in a civilized society. It has become a national emergency,” says Bowoulo Taylor Kelly, vice president of the Association of Female Lawyers of Liberia.

$22 Million EU-Funded Spotlight Project Fails to Deliver Justice

Many experts hoped things would have been better by now. The European Union’s Spotlight Initiative arrived in Liberia in 2017 as part of a 5-year $22 million partnership with the United Nations, promising to help women and girls live free from violence. (It was part of a bigger project in 8 countries in Africa). It could point to real breakthroughs: traditional leaders signed an unprecedented statement in 2019 banning female genital mutilation and closing the “bush schools” where the practice is carried out, and the country built new systems to track gender-based violence cases. But a 2023 audit by the European Court of Auditors found that the promise on paper rarely reached the women it was meant to protect. Because no law actually criminalized FGM, victims still struggled to access justice, and auditors who visited the country were told the practice continued in the very counties that had signed up to the ban. The Domestic Violence Act, approved in 2019, remained hobbled by practical and cultural obstacles — and the initiative had no way of monitoring whether any of these laws were being enforced at all.

For rural women, the gap between commitment and protection is starkest in the justice system itself. The audit found that reported cases of violence against women in Liberia fell, rather than rose, over the life of the program — from a baseline of 2,105 down to 920 — a drop that auditors said signaled the difficulty of reaching and being believed by an under-resourced system, where police and court records are often too incomplete to even classify a complaint as gender-based violence.

Attitudes appeared to harden: Liberia was one of only two African countries where the share of people who believed a man was justified in beating his wife worsened over the period measured. And with the four-year program judged far too short to shift entrenched social norms — surveyed EU officials estimated real change takes around sixteen years — much of the work risked unravelling once the money was gone, since most of the activities auditors examined in Liberia were found unlikely to be sustainable.

New Narratives’ reporting shows that the auditors warnings have come true.

A new $13 million “Spotlight 2.0.” kicked off in 2025 and runs until 2029. A Gender-Based Violence Information Management System is planned that is supposed to strengthen how cases are recorded and shared across the system. The system is meant to function as a secure national database: when a survivor reports abuse at a clinic, police station, one-stop center, or safe home, trained staff enter basic case details and the services provided, helping the government see where cases cluster, where services are missing, and whether survivors are being followed up. It is intended to improve coordination, services, and data systems with the Ministry of Gender in a central role.

Activists say the case should be a wakeup call to the government to accelerate that work. Taylor Kelly says said the SGBV unit must receive the vehicles, equipment, and budget to reach survivors where they are. She said community-level legal aid and referral systems must exist so a woman in Todee does not have to navigate a city she has never visited to access justice.

“The state cannot take a responsibility and just put it on one group of people. You will have to lead,” she said.

“Let us go to court“

After three visits from the family, the grandmother is still holding out. She knows what the money and gifts buy: her silence, his freedom, the end of a case that has already cost her more than anyone has acknowledged.

She knows her photograph went on social media after the rape. She knows what her community saw. She knows what they said about her. When the family came with their apologies and their cloth and their money, she felt all of it at once — the violation, the public humiliation, and now the quiet pressure to make it disappear.

“All that I passed through,” she said. “My picture go all on Facebook. You supposed to know that your son bring big disgrace on me. All that one — his family coming to beg.”

She still holds a belief, after months of silence from the state, that what happened to her should be said out loud in a room where people have to listen.

“Let us go to court,” she says. “Let us talk the thing that happened to me so people can understand.”

This story was produced in collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by a private donor and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The donors had no say in the story’s content.

MONROVIA — An eyewitness has presented a detailed account of the movements of detained National Security Agency (NSA) staff member Jallah, asserting that his whereabouts during the period surrounding the alleged offense are inconsistent with the rape allegation now before the court.

The witness’s account, which is expected to form part of the defense’s position, traces Jallah’s activities over several weeks, describing his interactions with family members, friends, and his girlfriend while maintaining that he was regularly in the company of other people during the relevant period.

According to the eyewitness, Jallah spent the night of November 28 at his girlfriend’s residence on Duport Road before the pair traveled to his home the following morning to prepare for a friend’s birthday celebration at Marshall City Beach. The witness said the couple later returned to Duport Road to purchase drinks and ice before attending the gathering with friends.

The eyewitness further alleged that after the celebration ended, Jallah returned home at about 1:00 a.m. and that his girlfriend, along with her younger sister, remained at his residence overnight.

In addition to describing events surrounding the alleged offense, the witness recounted another incident that allegedly occurred on December 26. According to the account, a woman identified as Sarttarus Kennedy and several companions visited Jallah’s residence seeking the release of a friend who had allegedly stolen Jallah’s cellphone.

The eyewitness alleged that during the encounter, a man identified as Varney F. Sesay, also known as “Senegale,” warned Jallah by saying, “You will see what we will do to you.” The defense has suggested that investigators and the court should carefully examine the significance of that alleged statement as the case proceeds.

The witness also provided investigators with a timeline covering the period around the New Year. According to the account, Jallah spent New Year’s Eve with friends at his girlfriend’s family residence on Duport Road and remained there until the morning of January 1 before

traveling to a friend’s residence near the Nigeria House community in Congo Town, where he allegedly stayed until the evening.

The eyewitness further stated that on January 2, Jallah remained at home while his house help and a painter carried out work at his residence before he later met friends for drinks. On January 3, the witness claimed Jallah again visited his girlfriend on Duport Road, where they reportedly spent most of the day shopping before he remained there overnight.

The witness maintains that the timeline demonstrates that Jallah’s movements can be corroborated by individuals who were allegedly with him at various times and locations. The defense argues that these accounts should be carefully evaluated alongside all other evidence presented during the proceedings.

Jallah remains in detention after being charged in connection with the alleged rape. Prosecutors contend that he committed the offense, while his legal team has denied the allegation and maintains that he is innocent.

The matter remains before the court, where both the prosecution and the defense are expected to present evidence, examine witnesses, and challenge each other’s accounts before a determination is made.

As the proceedings continue, the eyewitness account is expected to form part of the defense’s case. However, the court has not yet determined the credibility or weight of the testimony, and the allegations against Jallah have not been proven. Under the law, he is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

• Ten of 11 defendants in what prosecutors call Liberia’s largest human trafficking case are set to go on trial Wednesday, weeks after a grand jury indicted them over the alleged trafficking of 57 people from seven counties. 
• Prosecutors say the defendants lured the poor victims with promises of jobs in Canada and Australia before allegedly confining, abusing and extorting them at a compound near the residence of Vice President Jeremiah Koung. 
• The trial comes months after a FrontPage Africa/New Narratives investigation exposed bribery and interference allegations that looked set to derail the case. 

By Anthony Stephens, senior justice correspondent and New Narratives editors

Ten of the 11 people accused in what prosecutors and anti-trafficking experts describe as Liberia’s largest human trafficking case are scheduled to go on trial Wednesday, weeks after a Montserrado County grand jury indicted them over the alleged trafficking and exploitation of 57 poor people from seven of Liberia’s 15 counties.

The trial comes nine months after the victims filed complaints with authorities and three months after FrontPage Africa/New Narratives exposed victims’ allegations that Bestman Juah, a public defender, was paying bribes to police and prosecutors on behalf of the accused traffickers to protect them. “No one can carry us to the law,” victims said the defendants told them. “We own the government.”

Delays and a reduction in charges looked likely to give the accused perpetrators the right to apply for bail after which they were expected to vanish as accused trafficker Cephus Selebay did in a similar case in 2022.

Juah and Enoch Dunbar, a senior police investigator accused of taking a bribe to reduce the charges, denied they had taken any bribes.

The case is the largest human trafficking prosecution in Liberia’s history. The investigation shone a rare spotlight on the alleged corruption that plagues Liberia’s justice system and undermines confidence in the rule of law. It gave credence to victims’ claims that justice is only available to those who can pay.

The trial comes as researchers at the U.S. State Department are finalizing their annual Trafficking in Persons Report. Liberia has spent the last two consecutive years on the Tier-2 watchlist. One more year would see it risk a ban on U.S. aid.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants lured 22 women and 35 men with promises of high-paying jobs in Canada and Australia before confining them in a compound near the residence of Vice President Jeremiah Koung along the Roberts International Airport highway, where prosecutors say they were denied food and water, sexually assaulted and forced to extort money from their own relatives and friends.

Court records show that 10 of the defendants have been served with a writ of arrest — a formal legal document placing them under the jurisdiction of the court and informing them of the charges against them. Only one defendant, Blessing Favor Suah, has not been served. Prosecutors say they will seek her arrest and prosecution through the court.

The case is being heard before Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice, the seat of Liberia’s judiciary, in Monrovia.

Last month, a grand jury unanimously found it “more probable than not” that the defendants committed first-degree human trafficking. The indictment alleges that the accused lured victims to the compound, denied them food and water, raped and sexually assaulted some of them, and coerced them into contacting relatives for additional money—acts the indictment described as “slavery-like practice/labor exploitation.”

The grand jury also found that the defendants “willfully, knowingly, intentionally and purposely agreed and conspired” to extort $125,000 from the victims between 2024 and 2025. Human trafficking carries a minimum 20-year sentence.

For victims, the trial is the first sign that the justice system may finally be listening.

The trial marks the first time a trafficking case of this scale has reached a Liberian courtroom. Human trafficking advocates welcomed the news but said it should have happened much sooner.

“I am excited that they will go on trial because it has been long overdue and their actions have caused a lot of atrocities for Liberians,” said Princess Taire, project manager for World Hope International, which has worked with trafficking victims. “It will serve as a deterrent for other would-be perpetrators. Everywhere you turn, the radio, the social media, you will find these people.”

Despite the indictment, many victims and advocates remain worried that delays and jury tampering could still undermine the case.

Victims in trafficking cases previously investigated by FrontPage Africa/New Narratives have reported intimidation by relatives and associates of accused traffickers. Victims in the current case have expressed similar concerns and are calling on the government to ensure their protection throughout the proceedings.

The defendants named in the indictment are Bill Plato, Wuo Zekarso Garteh, Preston Godfred, Maxson Wonlebaye, Jerome Genseh, Luther Flomo, Alexander Plato, Marthaline Tompia, Shelley Jonny, Blessing Favor Suah and Stanley Wonlebaye.

Because Liberian law does not permit trials in absentia, prosecutors say they will ask the court to try any defendants who remain at large either separately or with other defendants once they are arrested.

The trial comes at a critical moment for Liberia’s international reputation. Prior to this year, Liberia had secured just five convictions since 2020. For comparison, Uganda secured 230 convictions in the two years to 2024 alone.

 This will be the third major trafficking prosecution by the government in recent months. Last month, prosecutors secured a 10-year prison sentence against a Nigerian woman who admitted trafficking three Nigerian teenage girls into Liberia. Liberia’s Labor Ministry said the court cited her “lack of prior criminal record, support from members of the community, willingness to rehabilitate and her current pregnancy,” when determining the sentence. In March, authorities won convictions against five women for trafficking 14 children.

Adolphus Satiah, a former head of Liberia’s anti-human trafficking secretariat, said the trial offered an important measure of relief for victims.

“They are seeing their perpetrators being handcuffed, prosecuted and put into prison,” Satiah said. “Even if the case has not ended, it means, to some extent, justice is being served.”

But Satiah also condemned the failure of the government to act until the FrontPage Africa investigation.  

“Cases of trafficking in persons are a national emergency,” he said. “Government should not be allowed to go under pressure before they can move. The fact that the government has to be under pressure from the international partners, is not a good sign for the government.”

In addition to securing the indictment, prosecutors persuaded the grand jury to seek nearly $US200,000 in restitution under Liberia’s revised anti-trafficking law for victims’ medical and psychological treatment, rehabilitation expenses incurred by victims and their families, and emotional distress and suffering that prosecutors said continued long after the victims escaped the compound.

If granted, it would mark the largest restitution award ever made in a Liberian trafficking case. The money is badly needed. Victims said they have suffered tremendous hardship as a result of the fraud perpetrated against them. One woman sold her farm and everything she owned to raise $16,500 for the traffickers. She and her six children are now destitute. Another said her mother is now bedridden and hounded by lenders demanding their loans be returned.

But there are concerns victims will not see that money. In 2023, Criminal Court “A” ordered Arthur Chan-Chan, a former National Security Agency agent convicted of trafficking two Liberian women to Oman, to pay $11,500 in restitution after sentencing him to 25 years in prison. But the order has never been enforced, and the victims are still waiting to receive the money.

Experts say the outcome of the current case could test not only Liberia’s willingness to prosecute traffickers, but also its ability to deliver compensation promised to victims under the law.

“It sends a signal that nobody is above the law,” Satiah said. “For years, people claimed they were ‘untouchable.’ Now they have been arrested, investigated and brought before the court.”

This story was a collaboration with New Narratives as part of the Investigating Liberia project. Funding was provided by the Swedish International Cooperation Development Agency. The funder had no say in the story’s content.

FISH TOWN, River Gee County –His Honor D. Onesimus Banwon of the 15th Judicial Circuit Court has sentenced a woman to five years of imprisonment for the illegal possession and distribution of controlled substances.

By Francis G. Boayue

The defendant, identified as God There Johnson of Bartiken, was convicted on multiple charges, including the unlicensed possession, sale, trading, and transportation of controlled drugs.

The legal saga began on January 15 when officers of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) intercepted Johnson at the Combat Gate Junction in River Gee County.

During the operation, LDEA agents discovered a massive consignment of Tramadol, a synthetic opioid and derivative of codeine and morphine.

The seized narcotics carried an estimated street value of LD$1,120,000.00 (one million one hundred twenty thousand Liberian Dollars).

When the case was called on Tuesday, May 19, the indictment was read to the defendant in a language she clearly understood. Rather than pursuing a lengthy trial, Johnson opted for a guilty plea, admitting to the crimes without coercion or intimidation.

Judge Banwon noted in his final ruling that the court took extra precautions to ensure the plea was made intelligently and voluntarily.

“A guilty plea constitutes a full admission of all material facts alleged in the indictment and dispenses with the necessity for a prolonged trial,” the Judge stated.

In his final ruling, Judge Banwon delivered a strict warning regarding the drug epidemic currently facing the nation. He emphasized that narcotic substances pose a direct threat to the peace, security, and moral fabric of Liberia, with the youth being the most vulnerable.

“The unlawful possession and trafficking of such substances remain offenses which the laws of Liberia condemn in the strongest terms,” the ruling read.

While the court acknowledged the gravity of the offense, it also considered mitigating circumstances, including Johnson’s expression of remorse and the judicial time saved by her confession.

The Final Verdict: “Conviction: Unlicensed Possession and Transportation of Controlled Substances. Sentence: Five (5) years at the Fish Town Central Prison. Credit for Time Served: The sentence includes her pre-trial detention period of four months.”

Judge Banwon ordered the Clerk of Court to issue the commitment papers immediately, signaling the commencement of Johnson’s five-year term behind bars.

GBEKEN, Maryland County — Tension gripped Gbeken Town in Karluway District, Maryland County, after video footage surfaced showing an angry crowd attempting to mob a man accused in connection with a mysterious death.

By Peter P. Toe, Jr.

The footage shows dozens of youth armed with sticks, stones, cutlasses and other weapons pursuing Thomas Cooper, who was accused in connection with the death of Morris Dweh Jr.

According to Police reports, the incident stems from events that occurred on March 19 when Morris Dweh Jr., 39, was found unconscious along a path leading to Gbeken Town around 0300hrs.

Reports indicate that Morris had earlier gone to wash gravel at a gold mining site along with Thomas Cooper and David Bedell.

The group reportedly began returning to town around 0200hrs after their mining machine broke down. However, Morris was left behind along the route under unclear circumstances.

The report continues that Thomas Cooper later encountered Morris lying unconscious while returning from the same direction and alerted residents of the town.

Community members quickly secured the scene, and officers, including Karluway District Police Commander Inspector Samuel T. Brown Jr., responded.

Authorities later convened a 15-man coroner jury, which pronounced Morris dead. The body was subsequently released to family members for burial.

However, tensions escalated when during the procession into town, residents claimed that, in line with traditional practices, the corpse allegedly identified Thomas Cooper as responsible for Morris’ death.

The claim sparked outrage among residents and heightened tension in the community.

Following the incident, Thomas Cooper reportedly confessed, alleging that Morris was killed through traditional means. He claimed that food and alcohol consumed at the gold mining site were poisoned through witchcraft. He also alleged that others were involved but has not disclosed their identities.

Authorities say investigations into the matter are ongoing.

Meanwhile, tension remains high in Gbeken Town as residents await further developments surrounding the mysterious death and the allegations that followed.

Monrovia – The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has welcomed the sentencing of five women to 20 years imprisonment each for trafficking 14 children and engaging in criminal conspiracy, describing the ruling as a major step toward protecting children and strengthening Liberia’s fight against human trafficking.

By Patience M. Jones, patience.jones@frontpageafrica.com

The judgment was handed down on Monday by Judge Roosevelt Z. Willie of Criminal Court “A” at the Temple of Justice in Monrovia during the February Term of Court in Montserrado County.

The convicted women — Halimantu Daramy, Grace Sesay, Hawa Kamara, Henrita Beayce, and Famata Doe — were prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice, with support from the legal team of the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection.

The five women were arrested on April 10, 2025, at the Red Light transport hub in Monrovia by officers of the Liberia Immigration Service while traveling with the 14 children, most of whom were later determined not to be their biological children.

Investigations conducted by the Liberia National Police (LNP) revealed that the women had allegedly planned to move the children through neighboring countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and Burkina Faso, on their way to Mali where they intended to exploit them for financial gain through humanitarian resettlement programs.

Authorities also disclosed that the same group had reportedly attempted a similar operation in 2024, during which eight children were taken to Mali and support was allegedly obtained from international organizations, including the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Red Cross.

As part of the ruling, all five women were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment, with immediate enforcement at the Monrovia Central Prison.

The court further ordered that the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection maintain custody of the 14 children, ensuring they receive food, shelter, healthcare, and education.

The court also instructed that DNA testing be conducted to verify any future claims of parental or familial rights before any custody arrangements are changed.

Reacting to the verdict, Gender Minister Gbeme Horace-Kollie praised the court’s decision, calling it a clear demonstration of Liberia’s commitment to ending child trafficking.

“We welcome this verdict and applaud the court for reinforcing Liberia’s commitment to ending child trafficking. The Ministry remains steadfast in protecting children and ensuring justice for the most vulnerable in our society,” Minister Horace-Kollie said.

Minister Horace-Kollie also commended the Ministry’s legal team for its close collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, noting that the partnership played a critical role in securing justice in the case.

The case highlights the persistent challenge of child trafficking in West Africa, where poverty, weak social protections, and porous borders continue to expose children to exploitation and abuse.

The Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection has reaffirmed its zero-tolerance stance against child trafficking and is urging all Liberians, communities, and development partners to remain vigilant in safeguarding children and defending their rights.

According to the Ministry, the verdict sends a strong message that child trafficking will not be tolerated in Liberia and that the protection and welfare of children remain a national priority.

Monrovia – A tragic and chilling incident at the foot of the Gabriel Tucker Bridge has shaken Liberia’s security community and the nation at large, as 32-year-old taxi driver Francis Nana has been formally charged with murder in connection with the death of Patrolman Mark D. Bracewell of the Liberia National Police (LNP).

By Willie N. Tokpah | willien.tokpah@frontpageafricaonline.com 

The Fatal Encounter

The incident unfolded in the early hours of Sunday, September 28, when LNP officers from Zone Two Base were conducting routine vehicle inspections at a checkpoint on the Monrovia end of the bridge.

According to police investigative reports, Nana, driving a yellow Nissan Almera sedan (license plate TX-A0022), allegedly refused to stop for inspection and instead sped through the checkpoint, heading directly toward Patrolman Bracewell.

In an attempt to protect himself, Bracewell reportedly leapt onto the hood of the vehicle. Witnesses and fellow officers alleged that instead of stopping, Nana accelerated across the bridge into Vai Town, ignoring the officer’s pleas.

Eyewitnesses told investigators they heard Bracewell shouting, “You will kill me, please don’t kill me,” as the car continued at high speed.

The chase ended in tragedy when the vehicle slammed into a roadside concrete barrier, hurling Bracewell violently against the block. He sustained fatal head injuries and deep lacerations and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Driver Fled, Apprehended by Private Security

According to the charge sheet, Nana fled the scene on foot after the crash, abandoning the fatally wounded officer. He was later captured by private security officers Joseph Doe of VIP Security and Amos Kumeh of Veteran Guard Services, who were on duty at Jetty Trading Corporation and MBC Store.

Police Charge: “Malice and Disregard for Life”

The police charge sheet, signed by ACP Raffel A. Wilson, Commander of the LNP’s Crime Services Division, alleged that Nana’s actions were “deliberate, reckless, and met the threshold for premeditated murder under Chapter 14, Section 14.1 of the Revised Penal Law of Liberia.”

A mechanical inspection by ACP Barney Johnny, Chief of LNP’s Motor Pool, dismissed Nana’s claim of brake failure, confirming that the vehicle’s braking system was fully functional.

“The defendant purposely, willingly, intentionally, and maliciously smashed victim Mark D. Bracewell against a concrete block which instantly resulted in his death,” the report stated.

Unprecedented Security Escort

On Wednesday, October 1, an extraordinary security presence marked Nana’s court appearance. More than 500 security officers, led by LNP Inspector General Gregory Coleman, accompanied the suspect to the Monrovia City Court.

The escort came just days after Coleman and AFL Chief of Staff Brigadier General Davidson Forleh visited the crash scene.

The courthouse atmosphere was described as somber and emotional. Family members, friends, and dozens of colleagues of the late officer gathered at the Temple of Justice, many in tears. Bracewell’s mother was seen weeping uncontrollably outside the court.

Nana has since been remanded at the Monrovia Central Prison, pending trial.

Defense Pushes Back

Defense counsel Atty. Jeremiah Dugbo has filed a motion for a preliminary examination, challenging the charge of murder. He maintained that his client did not intend to kill the officer.

“This was a tragic incident, not an intentional act. There was no altercation, no quarrel, no motive. We await the court’s fair assessment,” Dugbo told FrontPageAfrica after the arraignment.

What’s Next?

The case has now been placed before the Monrovia City Court, with the Ministry of Justice prosecuting on behalf of the Republic of Liberia. As proceedings move forward, the nation is expected to closely follow what many are already calling a landmark case, testing both Liberia’s justice system and public trust in law enforcement accountability.