Kakata market women attack leader

Spokesperson Kebbeh Sirleaf and Kakata Market Supt. Daniel Benson

Aggrieved marketers of the Kakata General Market, mainly women Tuesday, 27 May attacked their Superintendent, Daniel Benson, accusing him of administrative malpractices.

The market women threw stones and other deadly objects at the offices of Superintendent Benson, but were calmed by police in Kakata, who went on the scene of the riot. The market superintendent had called in the police to intervene after tension flared. The protestors barricaded the main entrance to the offices of Margibi County Superintendent John Buway, chanting anti-Benson slogan such as, “We don’t want Benson.”

They told the NewDawn Margibi Correspondent through their spokesperson Kebbeh Sirleaf described Superintendent Daniel Benson as corrupt, calling for his removal.

Madam Sirleaf appealed Superintendent Buway and the Mayor of Kakata to intervene in making sure Mr. Benson steps down. Madam Kebbeh Sirleaf: “We went to the market because he said he was going to make sure that all those selling in the streets will leave to join us in the market, but till now, nothing has happened.”

According to her, the area is no longer conducive for them so they want to return to where they were before. The area in question is adjacent the Kakata General Market building where marketers have done business for more than six years.

Madam Sirleaf added that Mr. Benson allegedly forced them to pay money so that he could write Margibi County Superintendent John Z. Buway and Kakata City Mayor Eddie Z. Murphy, along with a purse for the purpose of helping him to get them to the particular spot where they were removed.

When contacted, Market Superintendent Daniel Benson neither denied nor confirmed the marketers’ claims that he took money from them to talk with Supt. Buway and Mayor Murphy, but confirmed that he was attacked at his office by the market women. Superintendent Benson added that the market women may say a lot of things about him which may not be true because they are angry.

He said the relationship between him and the market women is cordial, so he did not expect them to attack him, noting that they are not the first marketers to be relocated in Kakata.

He noted that said he was constrained to invite the police because the issue was going off hand when the market women started destroying some materials from his office. According to him, the protestors intentionally went at his office to harm him because their actions were beyond control.