Monrovia – Three officers of the Armed Forces of Liberia and one civilian are currently undergoing investigation by the Liberia National Police in collaboration with Military Police, in connection to alleged armed robbery.
The three AFL officers who are at the center stage of the joint investigation at the Liberia National Police Headquarters in Monrovia were reportedly picked up on Wednesday, September 8, by police at the Duport Road Market, following their alleged involvement with armed robbery activities in the Old Road area.
Their arrest followed a tip-off by some community members in the Old Road area that the officers along with one civilian were harassing citizens in the area during the night hours.
Police Spokesman Moses Carter confirmed the arrest, but noted that the officers cooperated by turning themselves over to police who had tailed them from the Old Road belt to Duport Road, following information from Kapawo, Kapawo who alarmed the situation.
“According to the officers, they were driving and saw a checkpoint around the Kailondo area in the Oldroad guided by some young men, who saw them and began to run after observing they were officers.
The officers said they thought those running were criminals and went after them, but could not grab any, so they got back in their vehicles and left, but did not notice, they were being tailed by police,” Carter told FrontPageAfrica Thursday, September 9.
He said, following their arrest, they were initially taken to the Zone-5 Depot in Paynesville for preliminary investigation and then transferred to the Liberia National Police Headquarters for investigation.
Carter did not state the names of those arrested but said they were were identified in full uniform with their names tag.
However, he said they were not seen with any weapon that could connect them to the crime.
However, he said there are witnesses from the community helping police with the investigation to establish whether those arrested are linked to the allegation of carrying out armed robbery.
“Our job is to establish facts as to whether they used arms or not,” Carter said.
The LNP Spokesman at the same time maintained that the police have a phone and a vehicle belonging to one of the officers.
He assured the public that Justice be will be served, once culpable evidence is seen, to instantiate the allegation against the officer.
Carter said the AFL and LNP are not taking the allegation lightly, because it borders on the image of the country’s security sector.