An officer of the Liberia Immigration Service had been linked to the disappearance of a 25-year-old man in Ganta. The man has been missing since August 9, 2024.
The father of the missing man told the Liberia National Police that his son, Varney Tokpah, was last seen with officer Joe Buddy at the St. John River bank on August 9, 2024, and up till present Varney is yet to be accounted for.
Officer Joe Buddy is said to be assigned to Bong County, but how he got in connection with Varney Tokpah is yet to be established.
Police told this paper that Officer Joe Buddy is yet to be seen or report himself for interrogation, despite all efforts made to LIS hierarchy in the region.
His father, Pastor Abraham Tokpah, had been crying for justice across the community radio stations in Nimba since he went missing almost three weeks ago.
He told this paper via mobile phone that his missing son was a senior student of the Liberia International Christian College.
Pastor Tokpah said on August 9, 2024, while in the yard putting some documents together along with his son (Varney) a call came from Joe Buddy to his son.
He explained upon receiving the call, his son left what they were doing, telling him an officer, identified as Joe Buddy, called him, so he was rushing there.
"After my son, people told me he asked my son to help get a secondary button phone and both of them went to St John, where the Zogoes had their cartel," he said.
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Quoting the Zogoes, he said, "While among the Zogoes, the officer began taking in drugs, but my son was not part of the substance abuse."
When the officer and Zogoes were taking drugs, they heard that the LDEA were coming, the Zogoes boarded themselves in a canoe and fled, leaving Officer Joe Buddy and my son, Varney, behind," he said
A tearful Pastor Tokpah says since August 9, 2024, had not heard from his son, nor did he know his whereabouts, but only to see the family of Joe Buddy at their home one evening to apologize for the incident.
He said when he went with the family to the police station, they refused to go in and, "since they left, they are yet to come back and my son cannot be found."
However, when the Daily Observer contacted the Regional Commander of the Liberia Immigration Service in Gbarnga, Yei Dolopia, confirmed the incident, but said the officer had reported himself and was under interrogation by the Protective Internal Security Department (PISD) in Monrovia.
Officer Joe Buddy's failure to report himself to the police for interrogation sparked concerns among the public, with many insinuating that he might have sacrificed the young man.
Officer Buddy is said to be an armed officer because he was assigned to the LIS Border Patrol Unit and he was armed at the time of the incident, Pastor Abraham Tokpah had said.
