J. Nathaniel Daygbor
16 October 2007
The port city of Buchanan, in Grand Bassa County came under siege last Friday when residents took to the streets in protest to an alleged stolen fuel from the premises of the Buchanan Renewable Energies (BRE) reportedly by some police officers, who were in charge of the consignment.
The chief driver to the General Manager of the company, Farley Milton said about six drums of fuel were allegedly stolen by unknown individuals on Thursday, October 12 at night.
Mr. Milton said the Liberia National Police was contacted to provide security for the Buchanan Renewable Energies including fuel, equipment, trucks, amongst others. He said after it was discovered that the drums had gone missing, the police conducted preliminary investigation to find out doers of the act.
But he noted that police did not report the theft to the BRE management until some workers of the company, who drove there with trucks for fuel, discovered it. He said the General Manager of the company, Mr. Martin Greenwood, has expressed disappointment over disappearance of the fuel.
When the Police Commander assigned to keep watch on the consignment of fuel was contacted, he confirmed the theft. Col. Nelson Freeman of the Buchanan Police detail said some of officers posted on duty, deserted their assignment, adding:, "So the criminals then utilized the opportunity".
Col. Freeman clarified that most of the people of the county believed the fuel were stolen by the police, but clarified that the police could not be so ungrateful to the extend to breach the code of ethics by stealing what have been entrusted into their care.
He pointed out that during the public demonstrations, several vehicles including vehicles belonging to the United Nations Mission In Liberia, were damaged by angry crowd.
He said about seven Police officers sustained injuries while a house that was being used to host the police, was set ablaze by the crowd.
In an interview with The Analyst, some residents said at about 9:00 PM, the Police were seen preventing residents from using the route leading to the fuel.
A resident of Buchanan, Emmanuel Wonyou, confirmed that the Police indeed, stopped people from using that road. Mr. Wonyou furthered that the residents staged a street protest because criminal activities were becoming very prevalent in the city.
Emmanuel noted public properties are being stolen daily including a new rail constructed by the mining company, Mittal Steel, removal of electric wires and pipes from four houses, amongst other crimes.
Also speaking to The Analyst, Ms. Laurene Logan, said the stealing of rail materials from Mittal, and the fuel from Buchanan Renewable Energies are acts intended to discourage investors from investing in the county.
"They will feel we the Bassa people are against development, so we have to prove that the stealing of those items, we as citizens, are not aware", said Ms Logan.
At a meeting organized by electoral district #4 Representative in Buchanan, Gabriel Smith, citizens called on authorities of the county to intervene to end the increase criminal activities in the area.
The citizens also called for the establishment of a community watch team in the city to help curb the high rate of crimes. The citizens disclosed the government of Liberia has given right to some companies to engage in scrap business in the county.
They noted that such decision has given rise to illegal scrap activities, noting that the recent erosion in the county was due to scraping of the port of materials installed there by the former Liberia Mining Company (LIMINCO) to prevent the sea erosion, but these materials are being removed by illegal scrappers.
The citizens, in consultation with Representative Smith, have planned formal program slated for Friday this week to welcome the Buchanan Renewable Energies to the county, adding they are very honored of the company's decision to take name of their capital.
However, Grand Bassa Superintendent, Madam Julia Duncan Cassell, said the citizens over acted.
Superintendent Cassell said even if the police stole all properties of the company, the citizens should have used other peaceful approach to express their displeasure rather than engage in violent protest.
She said one of her major problems in the county is illegal scraping."Since came into office, this place has been wired over four different times because whenever we erect wires, criminals filch the wires for scraping".
Madam Cassell noted that during the July 26 Independence, celebration, the city was lit up, but the electric wires have disappeared in thin air. Supt. Cassell called on citizens of the county to handle their own responsibility, but in decent manner.
She called on Representative Smith to pass a bill that would make theft of property an unbailable crime.
She noted that some of the criminals are being supported influential "rich people", and people in authority. "Even when we take some of the criminals to court, they have people who can stand their bond and find lawyers for them; what a shame", she noted.
She denied reports that six drums of fuel have been stolen. She said the management of BRE told her that the information about six drums going missing is inaccurate.
She said BRE should hire private security firm to protect its properties, but a student based in the county, Melvin Johnson, differed with the Superintendent, arguing as a company just arriving in Liberia, the Police must provide security protection until the institution is fully established.
Meanwhile, Madam Cassell has demanded an apology from the BRE management for the miscalculated information provided, which according to her, has brought the county to disrepute.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 The Analyst. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
