Lower Margibi Citizens Block RIA Highway in Demand of Justice
DUAZON, Margibi County – Normal activities were disrupted on the Roberts International Airport Highway due to citizen’s actions that saw the blocking of the main road in demand of justice for a resident of the area who was brutalized by a gang of criminals.
The RIA highway, Liberia’s busiest route is the main corridor connected the only international airport to Monrovia.
According to the protesters, the victim, a money exchanger in Duazon Community, District #1, Margibi County, was injected by a chemical substance that rendered him unconscious before being robbed.
The aggrieved citizens said their action was due to the continued refusal of government to provide security for citizens that are being harassed by group of gangs and criminals within the community on several occasions.
Speaking to K-news, a resident only identified as Jacob said, residents of the area are living in fear due to the many ghettos in the community. This, he noted, has been posing serious threats to community dwellers, something he said has been ongoing for more than five years.
Jacob has accused some top government officials for being the reason behind the increased criminal activities as they are involved in the importation of illicit drugs; something he believe is the driving force behind the lawlessness in the area
A cross-section of citizens, mostly women, during the protest informed K-news that it is not the first time for said incident to take place in the Duazon Community as this has become a normal activity for alleged criminals to harass peaceful citizens.
Meanwhile, the brother of the injected victim, Haji Varney, said it was unfortunate that the family does not have money to take their brother to any medical facility for proper medication.
“Presently, he is unconscious and nobody knows what will be his condition in the next two hours. For now we don’t have money to take him to hospital. The little money he had the criminal took it,” Haji lamented.
According to him the incident happened approximately at 8: pm on Monday. He said they tried getting the police to rescue their brother but the police did not show up. He said the police’s refusal to come to their rescue in times of emergency or whenever they are in danger is one of the main reasons criminal activities in the area are on the increase.
“We tried calling the police but it has been their usual habit whenever you call them, they delinquently refuse to answer your call; reason being they don’t want to come to your aid. Sometimes when they answer, they will tell you they don’t have gas, they don’t have men power all those kind of stuff.”
By Theophilus Cole
