The Independent National Commission on Human Rights (INCHR) has clarified that its recent press statement on the prevailing human rights situation in the country did not mention any specific individual; instead, recommended that the government institutes a number of measures to curtail the disappearances and mysterious deaths of the citizenry.
The statement, a copy of which is in the possession of the Hot Pepper, said, “Our attention has been drawn to the persistent disappearances and mysterious deaths of our peaceful citizens, including ritualistic killings around the fifteen counties, especially women and children.”
According to the statement, “From July up to September 2021 our monitors report revealed that one local government official, Alexander Yenue, disappeared in River Gee County, and up to present his whereabouts is not known. While in Kaluway District, Maryland County, Madam Eliza Roberts also disappeared. Her whereabouts is not known up to present.
“Our monitor’s report also revealed that a 66-year-old man disappeared in Grand Gedeh County. Two weeks ago, a 1-year-6-month-old child was taken away by unknown men in Bong County and later his body was found near a creek. In Grand Cape Mount County, Madam Hawa and Mulbah Kunyon got missing, and up to present their whereabouts are unknown. Our monitor also informed us that Madam Afoa Williams was found dead in district #9, Montserrado County, and up to present the perpetrators have not been apprehended.
“Our monitors also report that Ma Nowai, who came from Bong County last week to visit her relatives in Johnsonville, also disappeared and her whereabouts is unknown up to present. The commission also received a report from Foya, Lofa County, that a private security officer working for the Lone Star Cell got missing and his whereabouts is not known.
“The commission continues to receive complaints from her monitors that individuals that are riding on motorcycles are using white handkerchiefs to kidnap the riders at night. If the handkerchief is rubbed on your face, you become unconscious and are taken away to an unknown destination. The commission observed that the disappearances of people and mysterious deaths, including ritualistic killings, is due to the malfeasance of the Liberia National Police (LNP) due to several challenges.”
In order to curtail the disappearances and mysterious deaths of peaceful citizens, the commission recommended that the government provides attractive incentives for the LNP; police should be empowered by providing them vehicles for night patrol; the police should ensure that no vehicle ply the streets without license plate (back and front); besides diplomatic vehicles, no vehicle should ply the streets with tainted glasses; the police should prohibit the selling of cutlasses and other silent weapons in the streets of Monrovia; and the police should revert to the previous order of former Police Director Coleman for motorcyclists to run from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. to enable the police to monitor the crime rate at night.