Police accused of illegal detention in Nimba

The Public Defender of Nimba County has threatened to take issue with the Liberia National Police for failure to charge send to court suspects that were arrested in connection with last week’s bloody violence in the commercial city.

Attorney Mewaseh Paybayee, said since the violence occurred on September 30th, the police have not sent any of the suspects to court as requires by law. Under the laws of Liberia, a suspect arrested for alleged crime must be charged and sent to court within 72 hours or released from further detention.

Police in Monrovia confirmed the arrest of over 50 suspects last week after the riot.  Attorney Paybayee lamented that some of the detainees, particularly females, were facing deteriorating health conditions. He added that the police have already been informed about the plight of the suspects in detention, but have allegedly refused to address those concerns.

When contacted, police chief of investigation or 105 told this paper a total of 60 suspects were arrested, three of them directly linked to the alleged killing of a motorcyclist, while 41 will be charged and sent to court, but didn’t say when. He added that 18 of the suspects have been released due to lack of evidence.

Meanwhile, some aggrieved residents of Ganta claim security forces were collecting 5,000 Liberian Dollars from families of suspects in detention in order to release them. Some of the suspects said they have been in police cell for over a week without being charged and sent to court.

According to them, some of their colleagues, who have money, are paying for their release, but chief of investigation or 105 demised these claims as far from the truth.

By Franklin Doloquee, Nimba -Edited by Jonathan Browne