Filed in by Mulbah Kesselly
Monrovia – A bloody clash that ensued between officers of the Liberia National Police Support Unit (PSU), court officers and some residents of the Johnsonville Community, a suburb of the capital Monrovia, has left scores of persons wounded, including seven PSU officers and four sheriffs of the 6th Judicial Circuit Court, the Civil Law Court at the Temple of Justice.
Eyewitnesses narrated that seven officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) and four sheriffs sustained severe and minor injuries during the melee. Punch FM/TV online service has not independently verified the eyewitnesses’ account, but has seen photographs depicting at least six police officers and one court officer displaying bandaged wounds in their heads, arms and one in the leg.
Our reporter who later went on the scene of the riot, reports that the brawl broke out during the early hours on Saturday, when the sheriffs backed by PSU officers who stormed the Kpawen Community, Lower Johnsonville, Montserrado County, upon court orders attempted evicting several community dwellers, who are said to be illegally occupying a private property in the area.
Punch gathered that not being satisfied with the court’s ruling ordering their eviction, the affected persons with the help of some Kpawen Community residents allegedly attacked the police officers and the sheriffs, resulting to a heavy clash that lasted for close to an hour.
Our reporter says during the fracas, several other residents and passer-bys took to their heels, running helter-skelter, with the police being accused of releasing into the crowd of community rioters teargas canisters as the clash intensified.
The angry residents were said to be throwing stones and other missiles at the police, with rioting gears belonging to the LNP PSU officers being reportedly seized by the angry community dwellers, who as at the time of this report, were said to still be in possession of those police equipment.
‘Writ of possession’
According to court document in the possession of Punch, the Sheriff for Montserrado County, or his deputy was mandated to place the plaintiff George E.S. Freeman, representing the Intestate Estate of the late Joseph Jartu Abu, under complete and unresisted possession of a passel of 25 acres of land, which the court and police officers had gone to effectuate when the clash ensued.
George E.S. Freeman is rightfully entitled to the contentious property by virtue of a court trial in an Action of Ejection and Court’s Final Judgment dated 10 October 2008, according to court document Punch has seen.
“YOU ARE HEREBY COMMANDED to put the Plaintiff in the above captioned cause of action in the complete and unrestricted Possession of the property/premises herein described as Follow.” a Writ of Possession issued under the authority of Judge Yusssif D. Kaba, Resident/Assigned Circuit Judge Presiding of the 6th Judicial Circuit Civil Law Court For Montserrado, said.
Several defendants including Stephen Zeon, Koko Jimmy, Abraham Z. Kai and Jimmy K. Putu, to be identified, until the court’s verdict were laying claim to the 24 acres of land.
