Monrovia — Monrovia City Court Magistrate L. Ben Barco has ordered the release of several individuals, including Viola Lincoln, Thompson Chea, John Singbah, Joseph David, Michale A. Kamara, Mama Richards, John Morris, Handful Doedeh, Joseph Tokpah, Sam Garmuyor, Cyrus Johnson, Jeremiah Singbah, Godfrey Roberts, Kingston Johnson, Vicia Lincoln, and others who have yet to be identified. These individuals had been detained for four days in the police withholding cells at the Liberia National Police headquarters.

Despite their release, residents of the Fendell Community have vowed to continue their protest against the Government of Liberia. The residents claim that the government owes them US$5 million for the demolition of their homes back in 2016 during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. The protest led to the arrest and detention of 17 individuals who were charged with rioting, criminal mischief, and simple assault.

According to Madam Viola Lincoln, Chair lady of Fendell Community, they have been in talks with the government about resettlement since their homes were demolished in 2016. The resettlement package was initially US$40 million, but the government negotiated down to a minimum of US$5 million. The government later turned them over to the Ministry of Public Works for the disbursement of the funds agreed upon by both parties. However, since then, they have yet to receive any payment despite filling out forms, submitting relevant documents, and receiving ID cards from the government.

Madam Lincoln explained that the residents were protesting for their money when they were arrested, and the government claimed that it was not during their regime that the homes were demolished, so they could not pay them anything. However, the residents remain steadfast in their protest until they receive their payment.

Co-chair of Fendell Community Rufus Dean also spoke out against the detention of the residents. He noted that the law states an individual should only be detained for 48 hours, but they were held for four days. He called the government's treatment of its citizens "very bad" and expressed frustration at the lack of redress for their grievances.

Despite their release, it seems that the residents of Fendell Community will continue to protest until their demands are met.