In the wake of Sunday’s attack and looting of several valuables from the district office of Montserrado County Representative Yekeh Kolubah by gang alleged to be from the ruling Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), the lawmaker’s office seeks timely intervention of ECOWAS, African Union (AU), and other international partners.
Kolubah’s district office wants these international bodies to prevail on the CDC to stop attacking the lawmaker and his followers or they would be constrained to defend themselves.
This is not the first time the Montserrado County lawmaker’s home and district office has been attacked. Few months ago, a similar attack was waged on the lawmaker and his followers by people believed to be ruling party loyalists for criticizing President George Weah.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The New Dawn on 30 September, the Special Assistant in the Office of Representative Kolubah, Abdullah Kamara, disclosed that intervention of the international community is necessary to prevent a full-scale situation that could arise if there were a repeat of such violence.
Narrating what transpired on Sunday, he said while at home, Representative Kolubah received information that the Inspector-General of the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) Madam Josephine David and others from the CDC were due in the district to attend a market dedicatory ceremony.
He notes that considering what had transpired before when people from the CDC disturbed the peace and security of residents of the district, Representative Kolubah decided to leave the vicinity to attend a program of his colleague, Senator Abraham Darius Dillon.
According to Kamara, while away the lawmaker received calls from the district that Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Koijee had arrived at the district office along with gang, threatening to get even with the lawmaker and his followers for consistently insulting the President.
He explains that considering the graveness of the situation, Representative Kolubah returned home where he and his family also live to ensure there was peace in his district.
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He says in no time Mayor Koijee allegedly provided US$500 to members of the gang to take in dangerous substances in preparation to attack Kolubah and his followers.
Kamara adds that when the gang returned, they started throwing stones and attacking followers of Representative Kolubah, destroying windshields of vehicles parked in the yard.
He discloses the gang was led by one Abu, who formerly worked with Representative Kolubah an aide, but is who employed with the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency, adding they looted computers and television sets, among other valuables from the district office.
Kamara explains that while the ransacking was ongoing, officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) arrived on the scene but only chose to arrest people associated with the lawmaker, including one Rebbeca, Kolubah’s mechanist identified as Lassana Kanneh, and one Mohammed, leaving out the attackers.
When the communication office at the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) in Sinkor was contacted for comment on the allegations, a city police officer said media-relations people were in the field.
This paper could not also get comment from the Liberia National Police (LNP) on the latest situation as our reporter was told that police spokesperson H. Moses Carter was in a serious meeting and could not speak to the press.
However, Police in Monrovia have confirmed the attack on the residence of Representative Kolubah, disclosing that several arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
Police spokesman Carter earlier said an investigation has been launched into the matter, but presented a totally different scenario, claiming the attack against the Montserrado County District# 10 Lawmaker is as the result of an electrical wire Rep. Kolubah had crossed over the home of another resident in his district, which led to the violence.
But Kolubah denied. According to him, at no time did he threw stones, saying “I’m aware of this government’s plans which is to have me killed, but I’m not turning myself over to any investigation from this government except the UN, ECOWAS, and the United States Embassy.”
By Emmanuel Mondaye & By Lewis S. Teh–Editing by Jonathan Browne
