Liberia: CHURCHES EXPRESS CONCERN ABOUT GROWING INSECURITY

The Liberia Council of Churches (LCC) has described as “worrisome and troubling” the broad day armed robbery attack which led to the death of a young businessman on the Bushrod Island, outside Monrovia.
Founded in 1982, the LCC is the umbrella organization for churches, faith-based and religious institutions operating in Liberia.
It can be recalled that during the early afternoon hours of Tuesday, April 25, three unknown men riding a motorbike attacked and shot businessman Samuel King, 27, around the Mesurado Compound, adjacent the LIPFOCO Mattress Factory in Logan Town District # 15, Montserrado County.
The incident occurred when the victim was on board a commercial tricycle (kehkeh), carrying unspecified amount of monies in a bag to an unknown destination.
According to eyewitness accounts, the victim was shot once with a single barrel gun and the bag he was carrying dropped off the tricycle, making way for the armed robbers to hurriedly pick up and flee the scene.
Victim King was later pronounced dead upon arrival at the Redemption Hospital in the Borough of New Kru Town.
“My brother, I just can’t tell where they came from and where they were going. However, I was on the road selling my gasoline as you are seeing, when suddenly we saw a bike with three guys on it close to the kehkeh. We didn’t take note that they were up to something else,” Samuel Mulbah, a local gasoline seller who witnessed the incident stated.
He continued: “We saw the guys on the bike and the kehkeh driver having conversation. Later, the bike guys told the kehkeh boy to stop the kehkeh, and he refused. Immediately, the last guy who was sitting behind the bike brought out the single barrel gun and shot the kehkeh guy at his side, that’s how the kehkeh lost control and stopped,” Mulbah added.
In a statement issued in Monrovia under the signature of its President, Rev. Samuel Reeves on Wednesday, April 26, the Liberia Council of Churches said the latest broad day armed robbery attacked on the Fulani Businessman must not be taken for granted, especially in the wake of massive insecurity in the country ahead of the October 10 elections.
It is not clear whether or not the victim is a Fulani as being widely reported.
The Council views such incident as worrisome and wants national government to put in place the needed security mechanism to provide security for its citizens, which is a cardinal responsibility of any government.
The release from LCC quotes its President as saying, Liberia has reached a place where citizens are now living in perpetual fear due to the constant wave of threats and attacks on their lives by group of unscrupulous individuals.
It added that the terrorizing effect of such a day light robbery must claim the attention of government to beef up its security patrol across the length and breadth of Liberia, during both the day and night hours.
“What makes it more troubling is the fact that individuals are now monitoring and tracking the activities of people carrying out their daily businesses and later attacked in the eyes of their fellow Liberians.”
Meanwhile, the Liberia Council of Churches has cautioned that Liberians have gone through a lot as a result of the civil conflict and can no longer continue to experience wanton acts of insecurity when they are enjoying a semblance of peace.