Heart-man activities hit Nimba

Residents of Zahn Yekyee Town, electoral district#8 in Nimba County are in panic after unknown men suspected of being ritualistic killers, allegedly chased a woman and a group students.

The students were reportedly on their way for weekend while the woman in question had gone on her farm along when the incident occurred.No one has been arrested in connection with the act, but the town is said to have a history of ritualistic killings with a child discovered dead sometime last year in the bush with body parts missing.

The deceased and her mother had gone to participate in a farm cooperative locally known as koo, when the child was left in the village along with other kids.It was established how the minor left the village, but was subsequently found dead few miles away from the village with parts missing.

The New Dawn Nimba Correspondent said those who were on the farm, were arrested and sent to Saclepea for interrogation, but later released. Nimba County Senator Prince Yormie Johnson recently frowned against ritualistic killing during a visit to Maryland County, calling for government’s intervention.

Sen. Johnson, leader of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction, said if elected the next Liberian president, a MDR-led government would try and sentence to death suspects convicted for ritualistic killings.

The practice involves killing people and extracting their body parts to use them as charms to win elections or gain political influence. Maryland County has a strong history of such killings even up to now, but the famous one involved Allen Yancy, ex-superintendent James Anderson and others. The accused were subsequently tried, found guilty and sentenced by hanging during the Tolbert regime in early 70s.

Nimba County currently has about 105 representative aspirants from all nine electoral districts, who have expressed interest to contest in the October elections.Some of the citizens, who spoke to this paper lamented that the alleged act was creating panic in the county, particularly as the country heads for elections.

Some of the aspirants, who spoke with our correspondent, distanced themselves from the practice, saying they are entering the race to help improve the living condition of their people, rather than killing them.

By Franklin Doloquee, Nimba-Editing by Jonathan Browne