By Solomon T. Gaye, Sr.
The Stand-down order released to several officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) assigned in Ganta City is raising serious concerns among residents in the county.
Speaking to this paper in the county, Elder Peter Wonley, explained that the stand-down order imposed on several staff working with Liberia National in Ganta is overdue and called on the Inspector General to reconsider his decision by allowing those affected to return to work.
According to Elder Wonley, several LNP senior officers assigned at the Ganta Police Station were suspended following the death of a Guinean identified as Joe Kolleh in his 40th year.
Elder Wonley lamented that since the death of Kolleh while in the Police withholding cell in Ganta on May 6, 2021, several of the LNP staff have not been present at work and that the Director of Police is not doing nothing to inform the public about the cause of Joe Kelleh’s death.
Commissioner Amos Gbatu explained that family of the victim was allegedly given misinformation that the late Kolleh was allegedly flogged by the LNP before being placed behind bars and after few days he was reported dead while still in the cell.
Commissioner Gbatu further said that the local authority in the county are doing everything to lay the case to rest, but Fasu, another Guinean national who is claiming to be relative of the deceased is not cooperating with the county authority to meet with the family on the information regarding Kolleh’s death but the information that the state security beat Kolleh to death is false and misleading.
Report gather by this paper revealed that over 12 LNP officers have been on a stand-down ordered by the Police IG since May 6, 2021 due to the death of Kolleh in the county.
However, while touring the Ganta general market in Nyankorma quarter, many marketers frowned at the Director of Police for the suspension of the LNP officers for more than two months when according to them, the late Kolleh was a prolific alcoholic.
According to many of the marketers, the victim might have died from hunger while in detention but was not beaten by any Police as alleged by many of his kinsmen in Ganta, Nimba County.
When this paper contacted the LNP Regional Commander for Bong, Nimba, Lofa Counties, Morris Tingba, he confirmed the stand-down of over 10 LNP officers from active duty.
The LNP Regional boss added that the stand-down is indeed creating serious hardship on grounds that Ganta is a crime bleeding city that needs more state security to battle with the criminals to make the city crime-free but the over 10 LNP personnel place on stand-down have created a gap in fighting crimes in the county.