The Management of the West African Investment and Finance Corporation (WAAC) has dragged 15 persons including three clan chiefs, 12 elders and youth of Tewor District, Grand Cape Mount County to court for alleged 'criminal trespass and thief of property.'

WAAC is a private oil palm company operating in Tewor District. The company entered an agreement with the Liberia Government in 1967 to grow oil palm on 100,000 acre in the district.

Those taken to court are leaders of citizens of the district opposing the company's 'illegal occupation' of their lands.

One of them, Tonieh Massaquoi, was on the eve of Liberia's 166th Independence arrested and jailed for two days at a local police station by officials of Tienii Magisterial Court in Cape Mount.

The three clan chiefs sued by the company includes Chief Momoh Getaweh, General Town Chief of Getaweh Clan, Chief Armah J. Fahnbulleh and Chief Momoh Y. Sambolla, General Town Chief of Fahnbulleh and Sambolla Clans respectively.

The citizens, prior to the lawsuit, wrote their county's officials including Senator Abel Massaley complaining that the WAAC was 'illegal occupying' their ancestral land.

The letter, according to the citizens, led to the issuance of the writ of arrest.

According to them, they decided to complain WAAC because it illegal occupation of their lands poses serious threats to their peace, security, happiness and livelihood.

The letter, copy of which is in the possession of this paper was signed by almost all of those accused and charged with 'theft of property and criminal trespass.

They were scheduled to appear in court on Monday but the case was rescheduled for August 5, 2013 following the intervention of Green Advocates International.

Green Advocates International accepted, yesterday at a mass citizens meeting held in Gbesse Town to represent the legal interest of the Tewor District citizens.

The rights group has a team of sturdy lawyers who would appear at the Magisterial Court next week.

Green Advocates Lead Campaigner Atty. Alfred Lahai Brownell told the meeting that the suit filed against the citizens by General Manager of WAAC is a tactic employed by the company to scare the locals and keep them quiet.

Atty. Brownell assured the citizens that Green Advocates International will represent them in court and as well help retrieve their lands from WAAC.

He disclosed that the organization is not scared to fight company like WAAC which is just hustling, when it is in fight with multi-million dollars concessions in the country.

"We are trained to go to court. We will go to court. It is a very easy fight. We don't even care who are behind this company. We will fight them and get back your land," Lead Campaigner noted.

He however warned about deceit and hypocrisy and called on the citizens to inform their sons, daughters based in Monrovia and in the Diasporas about their request that Green Advocates represent their legal interest to get back their land from WAAC.

Atty. Brownell made reference to Green Advocates International work at Sime Darby and said citizens affected by the company's operations were abandoned by their own sons and daughters in Monrovia and other places, noting they failed to intervene resolve the problems created by the company.

He maintained that the case involving WAAC is very easy because according to him the company is illegally operating in the county.

Amidst applauses, Atty. Brownell disclosed that the Green Advocates has finally obtained copy of the agreement entered between Charles D. Sherman and the Government for Liberia and noted that it is being review by the institution's lawyers for possible action. He told the gathering that the deal was never ratified by the National Legislature as required.