President George M. Weah has declared curfew in Maryland County as violence enters day three burning down properties followed by intense looting in Pleebo.
The curfew according to the Liberian leader will be enforced from 6 A.M to 6 P.M beginning today, April 1, 2021 until further notice.
President Weah has also condemned in the strongest term the reported violence in Maryland County; stating that his government will not condone any act of lawlessness.
Maryland County continues to be a scene of serious tension by several inhabitants predominately women over the mysterious killing of a motorcyclist only identified as Modicious Nyemah, a 12th grade student of the Pleebo High School with several of his body parts reportedly missing.
A scene of total destruction was created by some motorcyclists initially who allegedly set ablaze prison records on inmates, computers looted or vandalized, 25kg bags of rice, buckets, pots, spoons and other cooking utensils were all looted while the protesting motorcyclists, backed by idlers and street children, besieged the Harper Central Prison during the early afternoon hours on Tuesday, March 30, 2021.
The protesting women march on the streets of Pleebo
Their immediate demand for an unconditional handover of the alleged suspect, Moses Mlamah, 18, who was thought to be remanded at the facility awaiting trial for the death of their colleague Modicious Nyemah degenerated into looting after the retreat of both prison guards and police reinforcement when they eventually broke through the main gate of the prison.
According to the reports, even the inmates who had the opportunity to escape added a ‘take-away’ as they joined in the free-for-all looting spree, carrying away bags of rice and whatever prize they could lay their hands on.
The only rickety old police pickup was also destroyed, while over 100 inmates at the Harper Central Prison are said to have escaped as a result of the violent takeover of the facility by the protesting motorcyclists.
This is the third day of lawlessness in both Harper and Pleebo after an ultimatum given by the motorcyclists to local authority expired on Sunday and the protesters have even refused to allow the police reinforcement that had arrived to calm the situation, reports said.
As many people were expressing fear that the situation could go off hands, report reaching this paper said women have added to the protesting motorcyclists and allegedly set ablaze the compound believed to be owned by Speaker Bhofal Chamber in Pleebo, Maryland County.
!n a live Facebook post, the women dressed in black were seen parading the streets and chanting, “We need justice for Modicious. We as Marylanders are demanding that the government put an end to ritualistic killing in the country.”
Suspect Mlamah revealed that the alleged killing of the motorcyclist was perpetrated by him, one Open Zippor and Francis Clarke; all who are from Pleebo and that was acted upon the instruction of an individual identified as Daniel Wesseh from Barrobo, Tarpoli Camp.
According to him, it was when Clarke joined them and that together they killed the motorcyclist and extracted blood and some of his body parts
Meanwhile, the leadership of the county including the County Superintendent and Development Superintendent as well as the City Mayor are said to have all fled the county and their whereabouts are unknown.
Speaker Chambers has left the city Capital for Maryland and there are reports that members of the Armed Forces of Liberia have been dispatched to aid the police in calming the situation.
The Liberia National Police (LNP) spokesperson, Moses Carter on Tuesday acknowledged that the riot had intensified and economic situation as well as other activities in the county was at a standstill.
He told a press conference that the deceased motorcyclist Nyemah had honored a request to accompany suspect Mlamah into the bush to pick up some items and bring them to town and it was there that he allegedly began chopping the victim.
Carter said the police had gathered that the incident occurred in Bassiken Town around the Maryland OIL Palm Plantation in Pleebo District, Maryland County where the suspect allegedly chopped victim Nyemah after an altercation between them.
According to him, it was thirty minutes after the incident that the police made the arrest, investigated, charged and sent suspect Mlamah to court for prosecution for his alleged link in the murder of Nyemah.
Carter assured that the police were having negotiations with the protesting motorcyclists who have put up demands for speedy trial and an assurance that the case would come to a logical conclusion before July this year but apparently it is the conclusion that aggravated the women who joined the protest as it suggests that the more the case drags, it could lead to denial of justice.
It remained difficult to obtain convictions for ritualistic killings in the court system because the justice system does not recognize traditional rites as judicable issues. There were reports of killings in which perpetrators removed body parts from the victims.