Monrovia – FrontPageAfrica has in its possession two letters and photographs in which Lofa citizens in Kormai Town have called on the Minister of Justice to intervene in a land crisis in which the Attorney of that county is accused of using soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) to ‘terrorize’ them.
The first letter dated April 24, 2018, with subject: ‘Letter of complaint against Cllr. J. Luther Sumo – County Attorney, Lofa County,’ said on March 3, 2018, “the County Attorney terrorized and intimidated the citizens of Kormai town with armed men from the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), assigned in Voinjama City, Lofa County.”
Lofa County Att’y Cllr. J. Luther Sumo in chat with some of Kormai town’s workers
Kormai’s citizens further stated in their letter: “The armed men put the people of Kormai Town at gun point, whilst the citizens were working on a communion farm; asking them to drop their working tools on grounds that they were encroaching on government land. This action of the armed men under the command structure of the County Attorney of Lofa County (Cllr. J. Luther Sumo) led to the citizens of the town aforesaid mentioned, especially women and children to flee into the bushes overnight, since indeed the County Attorney threatened to return with a reinforcement.”
A follow up letter was sent on September 13, 2018, to Justice Minister Frank Musah Dean reminding him of their earlier letter but nothing had been done, according to the Kormai townspeople.
“Sir, we have done several follow-ups on said complaint since April of current year and have received no redress. We have been told by Assistant Minister of Justice Mr. Wesseh A. Wesseh that the Town Chief of Kormai Town come to Monrovia for investigation into the aforesaid case.”
Mr. Gizzie Kollince, a Kormai Town son, who told this newspaper what had happened, further stated that the Ministry of Justice had asked that people from Kormai to come down to Monrovia in other to look into their complaint but disclosed that the people are asking the Minister to send a team of investigators up there where the incident occurred and do their investigation instead of the people coming down.
“Our concern is that Monrovia is not the Geographic Jurisdiction for the instant case. The incident took place in Kormai Town, Voinjama District, Lofa County, as such the case should be heard in Voinjama, Lofa County,” the people said in their follow up letter.
Kollince, who contested the election and lost to current Representative Mariamu B. Fofana, further stated that the Ministry of Justice is dragging its feet to act on the complaint of the people of Kormai “after being terrorized and intimidated by Cllr. Sumo using soldiers of the AFL.”
Authorities of the Justice Ministry couldn’t be reached for comments. However, Lofa Attorney Luther Sumo told this newspaper that the people had proceeded wrongly; adding: “This is not the right thing to do. What is not done properly is not done at all.”
According to him, he had been called to Monrovia by the Ministry to look into the complaint but his accusers didn’t show up. “I had heard about this complaint back in April. I had gone to the Ministry and they were called but none of them turned out.”
Att’y Sumo, too, accused Kollince for “instigating the people against the government. These people were instigated by one person called Gizzie Kollince, who lost the election to Mariamu Fofana. They are saying that it is their property and the lease they had with the government is over. I am here to provide protection to all government properties and even the citizens of Lofa. I advised them to go to court and show their relevant documents that the lease between them and the Government of Liberia is over.”
He further stated that he had gone to them on the first occasion and advised on what to do, but added: “The second time, they took more than 60 men with cutlasses to the place. I being the Chairman of the Joint Security in Lofa County, do you think that I am going to go among 60 men with cutlasses or machetes, just like that? They are accusing the army. The army is trained and they were on one of their regular patrols in my car and since I was going there they just went with me.”
In the pictures, armed personnel of the AFL can be seen posted with their AK-47 rifle slung across their chests.