DEA agents kill disabled man?

Report reaching The NewDawn reveals that a 30-year-old physically challenged man has died, days after allegedly being mercilessly flogged by a team of Action Agents of Liberia’s Drugs Enforcement Agency or DEA led by a commander in River Gee County.

Well-placed security officials say they are not disclosing the name of the victim right now as well as the suspected DEA officers allegedly involved because investigation is ongoing into claims that the officers on last Saturday, April 4, 2015 allegedly flogged the victim before he allegedly died on Tuesday, April 7, 2015.

The NewDawn’s source in the county says some of the suspected DEA agents and their commander are being held under “protective custody” in Fish Town, the capital of River Gee County, pending the return of a joint security task force team that is expected today to visit a town in Tienpo District where the incident reportedly occurred.

When contacted via mobile phone Wednesday, the Chair of the Joint Security Task Force and County Attorney for River Gee, Atty. Wesseh A. Wesseh, confirmed that there is ongoing investigation involving DEA agents over the alleged death of a physically challenge man of the Bassa tribe.

Atty. Wesseh detailed that last Saturday; a team of DEA agents led by a commander went to Dartorken town, Tienpo District without a search warrant, and allegedly flogged a physically challenged man.

He said the victim was observed to have sustained bruises, and  later died on Tuesday, April 7. As a result of the incident, Atty. Wesseh told this paper that a joint security team led by the Liberia National Police or LNP responded to the incident scene in Dartorken.

He additionally said a “corroner jury” was immediately constituted to establish whether there was foul play or whether the alleged flogging was the cause of the victim’s death.

Atty. Wesseh explained that the corroner jury has so far reported that they observed that the victim had bruises or cuts all over his body; blood oozing from his nose; foam from his mouth and nose and blood on his head, saying, “The jury determined that there was foul play.”

However, he told this paper that the jury team was unable to interview people on the crime scene because the area was hostile, and protests were ongoing.

As such, the County Attorney added that he will be heading a joint security team today, Thursday, April 9, 2015 to the crime scene to do in-depth investigation with other friendly citizens in the area of the incident.

A follow-up with the DEA Director Mr. Anthony Suah failed, as his phone rang endlessly in addition to text message sent him concerning the reported incident from River Gee.

By Winston W. Parley