Calm has reportedly returned to Big Joe Town in Electoral District 5, Grand Bassa County.
This followed two days of violence which saw the destruction of both private and public properties, including a police depot and checkpoint in the aftermath of the death of a motorbike rider last Friday, December 8.
Until now, police have made no arrest yet, but investigation into the violence has begun, with fear being instilled in the residents in the community for their lives, as the area became a no-go zone.
According to the report, the violence erupted at a police checkpoint between the police and a motorbike rider, who was prevented from passing through but decided to force his way, and instantly collided with a truck from the opposite direction, causing his death.
Without exercising patience for the police to investigate the incident and bring the truck driver to justice for the incident, the deceased’s colleagues, upon hearing the news, which spread like wildfire, wasted no time in taking the law into their own hands by going on a rampage, resulting in the burning of the police depot, the checkpoint, as well as some private and public properties in the town.
The report said, because of the gravity of the situation, residents in the town ran into the bushes just to save dear lives, but the police reinforcement called in were able to have restored calm, as residents have begun carrying out their normal activities.
The incident last Friday, December 8, is not the first of its kind, but a regular happening nationwide; but in Grand Bassa County, this is the second times in less than a year.
Late last year, at the Saint John River Bridge in Electoral District 1, Grand Bassa County, an angry mob set ablaze a police station and checkpoint, as well as private and public properties in the area, after a motorbike rider got killed by a moving vehicle.
Because of the tense situation at the time, those few police officers who were then stationed there at the time went into hiding for their lives, until reinforcements were deployed in the district to bring things under control.
Mob justice in post-war countries is very common nowadays, with Liberia being no exception. Last week witnessed a similar incident in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, where the chiefs’ headquarters and a senator’s residence were set ablaze following the death of a representative-elect in India, following a period of illness.
During the course of this year’s electioneering, Montserrado, Bong, Lofa and Nimba Counties were the epic centers or violence prone counties. In these counties, there were reports of deaths and destruction of properties, all of which were attributed to electoral violence.
