Monrovia – Aggrieved Citizens of Bomi and the Sime Darby Plantation on Tuesday petitioned the Legislature, requesting the body to intervene in “the mysterious death” of one Mr. Okinstine M. Kollie, former grievance chairman of the Sime Darby plantation.
Report by Henry Karmo, [email protected]
“Looking at past histories of mysterious deaths and disappearances of employees/Citizens on the Sime Darby plantation, on March 26, 2018, the workers and citizens in and around the Sime Darby Plantation, staged solidarity sit-in protest claiming national Government attention,” they said in petition statement.
They also questioned the Bomi County Police Commissioner John Sahr’s investigative report and said the report has created more doubts in the minds of the workers union, which has more than 2,000 members.
On April7, 2018, the Liberian National Police (LNP) headed by Commissioner John Sahr informed the Sime Darby Workers union that the grievance chairman was not murdered, but died in a motor vehicle accident due to reckless driving by one A.B Bah, a driver of Sime Darby vehicle #33.
“We also want to state clearly that all of these misleading and purported reports being read by Commissioner Johns Sahr are being masterminded by the Justice Minister of the Republic of Liberia, Cllr. Musa Dean, who also serves as legal counsellor of the Sime Darby plantation Inc.”
“We the members and officials of the General Agriculture and Allied workers ‘union of Liberia, local Branch #1, Sime Dary plantation, Bomi/Grand Cape Mount Counties are calling on our lawmakers, the President Ambassador George Weah, Civil Society Organizations, national and international human right organizations and well-meaning Liberians to invite a foreign pathologist to conduct an autopsy on the remains of the late Grievance Chairman,” read the petition.
They promised to remain resolute and consistent in their call for justice and are planning a hunger strike in pursuit of justice that they needed.