Fendall, Montserrado – Normal learning activities were on Monday, May 13, disrupted on the Fendall Campus of the University of Liberia (UL) when riot broke out among opposing students-based groups.
Report by Willie N. Tokpah, [email protected]
The riot broke out when “militants” from the Fendall Students Association (FENSA) complained of brutality meted against one of their guys — Samuel Cole.
Cole was accused by members of the Students Unification Party (SUP), inarguably the largest UL campus-based student political group, of joining forces to brutalize a member of their party.
As a result, aggrieved “militants” of SUP reportedly reacted by carrying out similar brutality on student Cole, who was in their midst and accordingly provoking members them.
Members of SUP said they had earlier complained to administration of the alleged situation surrounding one of their men being attacked by FENSA members.
According to our reporter, who is a student of the university, SUP militants had mounted the podium under the Fendall Intellectual Tree and were carrying out their normal students politics when the riot broke out.
One of SUP’s supporters, Daniel Congay, alleged that one of his party’s members, Steven Sonkarlay, was attacked and brutalized by militants from FENSA for leaving their movement to join SUP.
“As a result, they are angry because Sonkarlay is no more with them but has returned as the “prodigal son”. We did not attack them; they attacked us and continued to throw jabs at us.
They had sticks in their hand and rocks brutalizing people wearing Khaki shirts,” Congay said.
When contacted, Sonkarlay also confirmed information of him being brutalized, displaying bruises on his body.
“They took by books and two phones from me. They are angry that I left FENSA to go back to SUP,” Sonkarlay stated. The riot halted normal learning activities; teachers feared going to classes.
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