Some people believed to be lawbreakers, both Liberian and Ivorian nationals, have reportedly attacked officers of the Liberia Immigration Services (LIS), including Commander William Budy who is assigned at the Loguatuo border in Nimba County, between Liberia and Ivory Coast.
Because of the gravity of the incident, the commander and some of his officers reportedly sustained serious injuries during the attack, thereby causing them to be admitted at the United Methodist Hospital in Ganta, Nimba County, where they are nursing their injuries.
Immigration authorities in Monrovia confirmed the attack on their personnel, but said investigations are ongoing to ascertain what really went wrong before the fracas which led to the destruction of both public and private properties when some people intruded the border from the Ivorian side of the border.
Budy heads the Anti-human Trafficking Unit at the Loguatuo border for the Liberian Immigration Services (LIS) in Nimba County.
However, a suspect believed to be the ringleader of the attack on the LIS officers during the incident, David Kiamue, is reported to have been arrested and is helping the State security with the investigation.
According to the report, the incident happened during the early hour of Monday, February 12, following the final football match between Ivory Coast and Nigeria in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) held in Abidjan on Sunday, February 11.
Normally, international land borders close at 6:00PM and open at 6:00 AM for the resumption of normal trade and commerce activities, and as such, Liberia and Ivory Coast borders are not exempted.
Whenever these borders are closed, trading or movement of goods and services, including the trader themselves, are not allowed to cross to either side until otherwise.
But the cultural or traditional inter-marriages and shared languages across the borders between Liberian and Ivorian people residing in villages and towns, including Gbenta on the Ivorian side, and Loguatuo on the Liberian side, is always strained.
Therefore, those residing on either side are in the constant habit of floating the law by not respecting same, for which they take it into their own hands always.
It is there and then, following the final football match between the two West African football powerhouses, the celebrants continued with the joyous mood to early Monday morning, February 12, as some lawbreakers decided to break through the checkpoint that was already closed during dawn, to the disbelief of the Liberian border guards.
Attempts to prevent them from the entering the country from Gbenta Town on the Ivorian side into Loguatuo on the Liberian side, led to the violence that resulted to the destruction of both public and private properties, and the attacks on the Liberian Immigration officers and people in the town.
The constant attacks on the country’s State security personnel, either by Liberians themselves or neighbors like Sierra Leonean, Guinean, and Ivorian nationals, have become a regular happening nowadays.
It became prevalent during the course of the last elections with immigration officers assigned at various crossing points, including Liberia and Sierra Leone border points in Vahun and Foya, Voinjama crossing; Luogatuo and Buutuo crossing points, as well as Cavalla River crossing point in Maryland County.
