PHOTO: Accused Senior officer Nyankun Williams
By Augustine Octavius, augustineoctavius@gmail.c
The high command of the Armed Forces of Liberia has submitted the findings from the investigation to the Minister of National Defense for review on an army colonel accused of raping a 16-year-old daughter of another AFL soldier.
On April 29, 2021, the AFL high command relieved Lieutenant Colonel Nyankun Williams of his post as Commandant of the AFL Training Command and forwarded to the Military Police Unit for investigation.
Defense officials say subsequent action will follow the review of the findings, as the leadership of the current Liberian army has a track record of rigidly disciplining soldiers in the ranks of the AFL who breach military code of ethics.
Addressing a press conference in Monrovia, AFL Chief of Staff, Major General Prince Johnson, who refused to reveal the content of the findings, disclosed that the medical findings were forwarded to the minister following the completion of the investigation by the Military Police Unit.
Major Gen. Johnson
The AFL Chief of Staff added that the medical examination was conducted on the victim on May 6, 2021 in the presence of the ALF investigators, representative of the Liberia National Police and the guardian identified as Jackie Richards.
According to him, the medical report conducted on the victim was interpreted for the AFL investigator by its Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Zoe Parwon after the copy and following the submission to the AFL Military Police Investigators.
Major General Johnson pointed out that the victim underwent medical examination at the sexual and gender-violence one stop center in Duport Road on the 26 of April 2021.
The 16 year-old victim is a daughter of Sergeant Obento Roberts, personnel of the AFL currently serving with the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Mali.
There is no word on when the Defense Minister will make public the outcome of the investigation of the AFL Colonel suspected of rape thus keeping the public in suspense and wondering as it regards the outcome of the investigation.
The refusal of the AFL Chief of Staff to make public the contents of the findings from the investigation in accordance with an agreement between the Ministries of National Defense and Justice
According to the agreement, any soldier of the AFL suspected of committing any crimes should be investigated and turned over to the Ministry of Justice since the Court Martial Board of the AFL has not been fully established.