Montserrado County’s electoral district #6 Representative, Rev. Samuel Enders, narrowly escaped death at the weekend when a man, said to be his former office staff, fired two rounds at him in one of the neighborhoods in the district.
The unprovoked incident occurred while the lawmaker was passing through the community to attend a program organized by the Association of Private Schools Operators in Liberia, held at ELWA campus, Paynesville.
The alleged attacker, identified as Andrew Tamba Smart, fired at the innocent lawmaker from his room where he was taking cover.
A middle-aged woman who was at the scene when the first shot was fire said the suspect repeatedly referred to Rev. Enders, who was passing through his window, as a naked lawmaker before opening fire at him.
The eyewitness, who spoke to the Hot Pepper on condition of anonymity, disclosed that before taking the next shot, suspect Smart asked her, the witness, to dress aside as he was about to attack his enemy.
She pointed out that the second gun fire, which occurred at noon, attracted huge crowd, which inquired about the motive behind it.
Upon learning about the attempt on the life of the Representative, New Kende Town Community Chairman, Daniel Suah, said he immediately informed the Liberia National Police (LNP) at Zone #8 Police Station to bring the situation under control.
Suah however noted that when the detachment’s Police Commander, Prince Cassell, arrived at the scene he made no attempt to disarm the suspect, as anticipated by community dwellers; instead, he took Smart to the station with the same gun hanging on his side.
The Chairman also stated that at the station the police made no attempt to take statement from him, as a complainant; rather, asked him to go home as the suspect was being investigated.
Suah told the Hot Pepper’s reporter that barely four (4) hours after he left the police station he saw the suspect back in the community, threatening to make further attack on the lawmaker unless he resigned his post.
Representative Enders, who is gradually recovering from the shock, told this paper that the attempt on his life is the latest in a series of disorderly conduct meted against him by his former chief of office staff.
The lawmaker indicated that ever since he dismissed the former chief of office staff he has always been hostile toward him, making every effort to molest or even attack him at every public gathering.
He said Smart has assaulted him on many occasions, sometimes tearing down his clothes in front of his family, but no action has been taken by the police to protect him, despite numerous complaints, most of which have been accompanied by video recording.
When contacted at the Liberian National Police (LNP) headquarters, where he had gone to take the complaint of the lawmaker for allegedly ordering people to flog him, Andrew Smart made no mentioned of a gun attack on the district #6 lawmaker, Samuel Enders. Investigating continues.