By Solomon T. Gaye
It has been noticed in Ganta City, Nimba County that the once cordial working relationship among members of the Joint Security is getting from bad to worse, as the officers are seen tussling over which security agency controls the checkpoints, including the Liberia-Guinea border in that part of the country.
According to reports from Nimba County, officers of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) accused the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) of ordering all State security officers under Ministry of Justice to leave the various checkpoints, claiming that the LIS is the custodian of all checkpoints in the country.
According to our Nimba County reporter, in its complaint to the Ministry of Justice, the LDEA argued that checkpoints across the country are established by the Ministry of Justice to be guarded by all government security agencies, since they have different and specific issues that concern the security of the State.
Since the beginning of this year, confusion over the distribution of gate drop proceeds and control of the Joint Security checkpoints in Nimba, especially Ganta, is getting to be the order of the day and is creating serious concerns among the residents of the city.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the Joint Security explained that distribution of gate drop proceeds among the officers has triggered the confusion between the LIS on one hand and the security agencies on the other.
Due to the intensity of the dispute, the Nimba County Police Commander, Dixon Kemokai, has ordered the immediate removal of police cones from all checkpoints, including Sokopa, Tonglawin, Flompa, and Saclepea.
When this paper contacted the Commander Kemokai, he said though the issue of gate drop distribution was settled, his men would focus more on providing safety for the community, rather than keeping guard at any gate in the county.
“Some people claimed that the area is for them, but we say the area belongs to the Joint Security in the county,” Police Commander Kemokai revealed.
