Calm has returned to the southeastern city of Zwedru after citizens went amok following the death news of an officer of the Bureau of Correction and Rehabilitation (BCR).
Reports sais the correctional officer, yet to be properly identified, had gone to purchase water from a Fulani businessman, Amadou Bah, but was hit during a tussle between the two.
It is said the fistfight subsequently led to the death of the correctional officer. It has not been independently established by medical sources that the death is blamed to the tussle.
Residents went on the rampage today destroying properties, but the deployment of soldiers representing the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), returned the city to normalcy. The street protest had overwhelmed the police, but the intervention by the army was sufficient to put them (the police) in charge of security once again.
In revenge the protesters looted a shop belonging to the Fulani businessman as citizen journalists captured scenes of the act using smartphones.
The protesting citizens destroyed a police vehicle and set ablaze the headquarters of the Liberia National Police in Zwedru, after an intervening police vehicle allegedly ran into a man causing injury.
The injured citizen, T. Nelson Ninneh, president of the motorcyclist union of Grand Gedeh, had gone to appeal to members of the union not to form part of the protest.
A correspondent in Grand Gedeh County, Eric Prosper Quaye said the angry citizens attempted marching to the Zwedru central mosque to have it burned, but were prevented by AFL.
The protest led to the suspension of commercial activities, as business centers were seen closed.
(courtesy of Trokon Freeman)