Buchanan, Grand Bassa County – A family in Grand Bassa County has threatened a protest action against county superintendent Joseph Levi Demah for what they termed “poking into their land matter.”
The Charlie Johnson family is angered by the disruption of several attempts to resurvey a land it’s claiming.
They are claiming ownership of 15.31 acres of land lying on the eastern side of the Monrovia – Buchanan highway from geometric figures given in metes and bounds of the property deed.
Superintendent Demmah had ordered the Liberian National Police to halt the survey of the disputed land also involving three other families.
According to a Johnsons’ property administrator, David Zacchaeus, the land dispute with the Jacobs, Carter, and Wright families was transferred to the Ministry of Lands and Mines’ central bureau of lands and surveys, requesting intervention due to perceived bias of Grand Bassa County’s land authority.
Zacchaeus said some of the parties were unsatisfied with the land authority handling of the matter, fearing that “justice would not be done”.
In 2016, Hon. J. Josephus Burgess of the Lands and survey bureau assigned surveyors Eastman Quaqua and Sam Paye to conduct the investigation based upon a request from County Attorney Wesseh Alphonsus Wesseh, the Johnson’s administrator said.
“When the investigation was done, the Elizabeth Carter’s 16 acres of land and the Wright’s 25 acres of land were not a part of the land dispute because the two parcel of land lie on the western side of the Monrovia –Buchanan High Way; while the parcels of land subject to investigation lie on the eastern side of the said high way,” he explained.
Zacchaeus said although the family was later ordered to resurvey the land, Superintendent Demah stopped the process on several occasions.
He warned that they are preparing a strike action against the superintendent to attract the attention of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
But Superintendent Demmah argues that the land dispute between the David Jacobs family and the Johnsons has not been settled, adding that it has further sparked skirmishes between the two sides.
He admitted ordering the police to stop the survey, while claiming that the Johnsons were not authorized to carry out survey while the matter is still in court.
“I am the head for this county, when things are going wrong, most especially land palava that is causing business people to lose is ongoing, I as superintendent must intervene,” Demmah said.
“Business man Kailondo, the Bassa Bar Association and many others bought land at that same place, but they cannot carry out their works due to this same land confusion.”
The superintendent maintains that once the case is settled he will receive notification from the court or the county Attorney before any survey is conducted.
At the same time, Grand Bassa County Attorney Samuel Jacobs denied allowing the Johnsons to conduct survey the land.
“The land palava is still in court and is being attended to, while would a family go to do survey on the land that is causing the dispute,” Attorney Jacobs said.
The David Jacobs family also confirmed that the court is yet to resolve the dispute, squashing comments by the Johnsons.
The Jacobs are claiming15 acres on the eastern side of the highway. The claimed parcel of land, according to the investigation sheet shown on the ground, does not form a geometric figure as it is not closed.
But the Jacobs said their points are far-off and could not be reached. The geometric figure could not be closed theoretically as the boundary lines are irregular and does not conform to the Deeds Information, the family argues.
According to the investigation sheet, the title deed of the Johnsons starts from the south eastern corner of Zack White property on the western side of the Buchanan-Monrovia highway. According to points shown on ground, they have 0.07 lot quality of land on the Zack White property.
The investigation sheet, a copy of which is in FrontPage Africa’s possession, reveals that the two main parties – Johnsons and Jacobs – should be taken to court of equity for correction of their title deeds provided there’s a third party to the dispute.
The document shows an overlap of the Jacobs and Johnsons properties be resolved by each be made to maintain position on either side of the 20 feet alley separating them and that the correction of the deeds and re-demarcation is done before more sales to avoid future embarrassment for buyers with the same problematic deeds.
Elton Wroinbee Tiah, FPA Contributor