Fulah Hill, Bomi County – Villagers in several towns and villages in Bomi County are living in extreme fear after reported helicopter drop -off followed by the shooting on a farm in the Fulah Hill Community in Dewein District, Bomi County.
Report by Al-Varney Rogers, [email protected] & Samwar S. Fallah, [email protected]
“I was on my farm yesterday, I went with my grandchildren while we were there, and we heard gun fire pa-pa about six times. So myself I got scare and told the children for us to leave but for me I was thinking that because the men them in the bush now (Traditional Poro school is ongoing) and no man was around there, so I told the children for us to go to the town”- Zinnah Freeman, cassava farmer
Villagers in nearby Vazilon few kilometers from the scene of the reported incident told frontpageafrica that on Sunday night they heard heavy shooting on a farm in the Fulah Hill community, something that have led them to be living in extreme fear unable to go on their farms.
A cassava farmer Zinnah Freeman said on Sunday while she had gone on the farm with two of her grandchildren she heard gun sound but didn’t have any thought that it was unknown men.
“I was on my farm yesterday, I went with my grandchildren while we were there, we heard gun fire pa-pa about six times” Freeman said.
She continued “So myself I got scare and told the children for us to leave but for me I was thinking differently because the men got the bush now (Traditional Poro School is ongoing) and no man was around there, so I told the children for us to go to the town”.
Freeman said it was when she got back to her village before she heard the news that a farmer in the next town saw some unknown armed men in his cassava patch which according to Freeman is not far from her farm.
“I didn’t talk anything but my brother came from Sass Town and said that people came from their farm and said they heard gun sound and saw men with arms,” Freeman explained.
Freeman though admitted hearing gun sound but said she didn’t see anybody.
“I told him that I went on my farm and that I heard the gun sound but I never see (saw) somebody,” she said.
For Freeman going to the farm to begin her normal work is not a decision for this week saying the situation reminds her of the past.
“From yesterday, I left that farm I have never been there, last night I was scare. I was afraid and I couldn’t come out in the morning to pray, Freeman added.
She says all the villagers are afraid to go on their farms “All of us are scare, it reminds me of the time we used to pack our things and run, we want the government to help us with security,” she said.
Shocking event
Narrating the incident Dewein District Commissioner Foley Siryon said he got a call late Sunday evening about the presence of strange men with arms in the district.
“It was yesterday after 4:00 PM, they called me about this shocking news that some unknown people have entered our territory, you know the people do their livelihood around a place call Fulah Hill where they do their cassava farming and burn charcoal,” Commissioner Siryon said.
Siryon continued: “One of the farmers was there packing his charcoal and he saw strange men, he ran to Sass town and told the town chief, they were in military regalia, they had arms but they were at the distance and they could not see the farmer.”
According to the Commissioner, the farmer became afraid due to the mood of the unknown men adding that the farmer panic and ran to Sass Town.
“He (farmer) saw approximately six to seven persons, what got us here amazed, is that they said they saw a helicopter in the area hovering just hanging and dropped people there but the Chopper later on came and took the people away, that is the mystery part of the whole investigation,” Commissioner Siryon said.
Commissioner Siryon said that visiting Fulah hill (where the incident occurred) one will see signs of people gathering. “You will see the grass down.”
Visible signs of movements
During a tour by frontpageafrica in the vicinity of where the reported shooting occurred, about 20 minutes’ drive from the main road and another 15 minutes’ walk from the dirt road, there is visible sign that several people might have walked along the road in the last few days with several fresh footprints along the road.
In a cassava patch, a carton of Club Beer is seen lying with several empty bottles of what is known as Small Beer scattered in the grass.
Eleven of the beer bottles were pilled together with the grass around the empty bottles completely flat, a clear indication of a group of people sitting on the grass to drink.
Some of those who consumed the Beer sat on a tree stump where they also left two other empty bottles. The entire area looks a warzone, as there is no sign of human activities.
The reported appearance of the armed men comes less than two months after the departure of the United Nations Mission in Liberia.
The incident could increase the already existing fear about the ability of Liberian security personnel to handle the security of the country.
A team of frontpageafrica reporters who visited the scene observed that the farm on which the beer bottles were found has four kitchens made of bamboo roof and constructed with rattan sticks.
In one of the kitchens where the farmer who spotted the unknown men was said to be residing sits a pile of abandoned cassava that he accordingly left due to fear.
In an attempt to allay fears, Dewein District Commissioner said that a joint-security meeting was held in the morning adding that their presence boost confidence in the people.
“This morning the joint security forces came for me. I’m not a security personnel BIN, NSA, LNP last night they deployed PSU and ERU to keep the peace until daybreak, last night the town was quiet, normally when these things happen the security presence gives them assurance, they are doing everything to attain the facts,” Commissioner Siryon added.
The Commissioner also said “No casualty, we telling our citizen to remain calm, we have our community welfare team who will comb the area, we will mobilize our own resources to support our community watch team.”
A student Siaka Sherriff who burns charcoal said that coming from the bush Sunday he met his town very quiet.
“When I came from the bush, I met the whole town looking quiet and when I asked my parents they said they saw a helicopter that put some people down and they later left,” Sherriff said.
For Sherriff his greatest worry about the presence of unknown armed men is that it might put him out of school.
“For some of us we are worry, for me I’m still in school I’m worry about my future, hearing this thing I’m scare and thinking about my future, when I heard the news I thought about war, I don’t want this to be true,” Sherriff said.
Another resident Junior Norris said early in the morning their town was greeted by huge security presence that short-lived.
“This morning we saw group of police passing and they went to the place where the thing happened after that they passed they went back,” Norris said.
According to Norris most of the men in the town were busy with their traditional poro school.
“We are having Poro society business when I came she started to give me the news that she heard certain gun sound,” Norris said.
Norris continued: “This news make me to feel bad because I don’t want us to go back to where we came from (14 years of war) I don’t want us to go back to where we came from.”
“We have many activities to attend to in the bush because that is where we can get our food from but here you see everybody in town sitting,” he said.
Empty shells reportedly collected
Frontpageafrica has gathered from credible sources that the Liberian National Police collected two empty shells and one undischarged bullet from the area and are examining the shells.
One source said it is likely that up to six bullets were discharged but so far only three were collected on the scene.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism late Monday announced that Defense Minister Brownie Samukai will today (Tuesday) address the nation on the reported military activities in Western Liberia.
According to the Liberia News Agency, Minister Samukai will address a special MICAT press briefing at the ministry at 11am local time, requesting all media institutions to be seated by 10:45am.
It can be recalled in May a ship was found abandoned along the Atlantic Ocean in Grand Cape Mount County.
The abandoned ship which raised fear was later claimed by some Nigerians with the Liberian government yet to provide further information on how the ship was left along the ocean, who took it there and other details.
Liberian security agencies continue to complain of lack of support. Police Director Chris Massaquoi has said the police needs full support through budgetary allocations to help the force perform in the absence of UNMIL.