MONROVIA — Barbed wire, not a court order, arrived first at Paynesville's 72nd Boulevard Junction. Before residents could seek legal protection, soldiers had already sealed off homes, trapped vehicles, and shut down businesses, a pre-dawn operation that has now triggered a Supreme Court fight to stop the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL) from what alleged property owners describe as an unlawful takeover of privately owned land surrounding the 72nd Military Barracks.
In a petition for a Writ of Prohibition filed through the Liberty Law Firm, long-time residents and business operators are asking the Supreme Court to restrain the AFL from further barricading, evicting, or demolishing properties they say are lawfully owned and deeded -- some for more than four decades. The petitioners also seek an order requiring the immediate removal of barbed wire fencing and the restoration of access to homes and businesses, pending a final determination of the dispute.
Decades-old ownership at the heart of the case
The petitioners identify themselves as residents and entrepreneurs of the 72nd Boulevard Junction Community in Paynesville City, Montserrado County, and state that they have lived and operated on the land for over 45 years. They claim legal and actual possession backed by probated and registered deeds issued as early as 1975, well before the establishment of the 72nd Military Barracks.
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Copies of land deeds, lease agreements, and powers of attorney were attached to the petition as exhibits, which the residents say clearly establish private ownership of parcels now enclosed by military fencing.
One of the co-petitioners, Frances Morsay, told the Court she holds a valid lease executed on March 8, 2020, derived from a 1982 warranty deed held by her lessors. Based on that title, she says she invested more than US$500,000 into developing the property, an investment she fears is now at risk of total loss if demolition proceeds.
'Barricaded while asleep'
Other co-petitioners, Abraham G. Barbour and Robert T. Barbour, say they separately acquired their properties in 1975 and 1985 and remained in quiet possession until the early hours of January 17, 2026.
According to the petition, at about 4 a.m., soldiers erected deadly barbed wire fences around their homes, vehicles, and businesses while occupants were asleep, effectively restricting movement and access without notice, compensation, or a court order.
Photographs submitted to the Court reportedly show residences and vehicles sealed off by the fencing, which the petitioners argue constitute unlawful restraint and a forced eviction carried out outside any legal process.
Acknowledging the barracks -- disputing the boundary
The residents do not deny that the government owns land on which the 72nd Barracks sits. In fact, the petition expressly acknowledges that the state acquired the barracks land in the early 1980s and that the facility was constructed around 1985, during the administration of the late President Samuel Kanyon Doe.
Their dispute centers instead on where that land ends.
The petitioners argue that the barracks land was properly demarcated and bordered by private properties, including theirs. They say boundary markers, cornerstones, and deed diagrams clearly separate AFL land from civilian holdings. One exhibit, they claim, shows a copestone marking the precise boundary between the barracks property and a petitioner's land, evidence they say contradicts the military's expanded fencing.
Legal basis for prohibition
In urging the Supreme Court to intervene, the petitioners rely on established precedent, including Togba v. Republic of Liberia (1988), which affirms that a writ of prohibition may be granted to prevent grave violations of settled legal principles where irreparable harm is likely.
They argue that the AFL's actions violate their constitutional right to own property and bypass legally required procedures for eviction or expropriation. Once demolished, they contend, homes and businesses cannot be restored, and monetary damages would be inadequate.
The petition, therefore, asks the Court to halt all further barricading and demolition, order the removal of existing fencing, and preserve the status quo ante until the ownership and boundary issues are fully adjudicated.
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Wider eviction tensions
The prohibition petition is unfolding amid tension over the 72nd Barracks, following a government eviction directive affecting civilians living in and around the facility. Residents have complained of increased military patrols, restricted movement and growing fear, particularly among families and small business owners.
Community leaders have also questioned the scope of the reclaimed land, alleging that the fenced area extends beyond what the military originally acquired decades ago.
The Ministry of National Defense has maintained that civilians in the area are illegal occupants and that reclaiming the land is necessary for the rehabilitation of the barracks and national security operations. It insists the process is lawful and that prior notices were issued.
