FLASHBACK: Alieu Sheriff on the ground after severe flogging
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Two officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) have been charged with Negligent Homicide and Criminal Facilitation in the recent flogging of a Truck Conductor, who later died, in the Gardnersville suburb of Monrovia.
Truck Conductor Alieu Sheriff on July 29, 2021 died immediately after allegedly being brutalized by officers of the LNP and autopsy report subsequently said blunt force killed him.
On Tuesday, August 31, 2021, the Ministry of Justice through its Acting Minister Nyanti Tuan revealed that the cause of death of the Bus Conductor, Alieu Sheriff, was unnatural and at the result of blunt Force Injury to the back of the head coupled with a preliminary investigation report.
Last Friday, two Police officers appeared in the Monrovia City Court at the Temple of Justice charged with Negligent homicide and Criminal Facilitation, and not murder or manslaughter that some had earlier speculated.
The two Police officers in court
The two officers charged are Samuel N. Borbor, Alexander Sackor
The two officers were sent to court on Friday, September 10, 2021 and were released on bail, because their charges are bailable offenses.
The two officers sent to court are Samuel N. Borbor and Alexander T. Seakor, with a third officer at the scene of the altercation, Harris Monger name omitted.
The death of Sheriff sparked a serious protest at the National police headquarters in Monrovia weeks ago.
In the wake of the public outcry, the Ministry of Justice ordered the Liberia National people to arrest and conduct preliminary investigation of the alleged suspects (officers) where they were detained in keeping with statutory period at the LNP headquarters.
What Police Charge Sheet says
According to police charge sheet on August 31, 2021, defendant Samuel N. Borbor of Super market, Gardnerville was arrested, informed of his constitutional/ Miranda rights investigated and duly charged with the commission of the crimes Negligent homicide, in violation of Chapter 14.3 of the revised penal law of the Republic of Liberia predicated upon a complaint filed by Sekou M. Kromah.
While the Ministry of Transport and the Liberia National police were carrying out joint vehicles inspection at the entrance of the National Transit Authority (NTA) located Japan high way, Gardnerville, several vehicles including victim Alieu Sheriff’s vehicle he was assigned on as conductor was parked by defendant Samuel N. Borbor and Co-defendant Alexander T. Seakor for not being road worthy, the police charge sheet said.
Information gathered was that, hour later other vehicles were released when the victim took his phone to give it to officer Thomas Sackor to speak with someone on the phone, he refused. The charge sheet said, this is what prompted the victim’s anger and he started to agitate that no other vehicles will leave the fence until his vehicle is released.
Due to the victim’s continued disturbance, the Police charge sheet said that defendant Samuel N. Borbor and Co-defendant Alexander T. Seakor held him by his trouser and forcibly place him out of the fence and lock the gate within.
While the victim was outside the fence, he began banging on the gate and subsequently went unconscious and fall to the ground and urinated on himself, the charge sheet said.
Victim Sheriff was later rushed to the JFK Medical Center where he was pronounced dead on arrival by doctors on call.
Investigation uncovered that Inspector Thomas Sackor was on official assignment, while inspector Seakor was not officially assigned there. But it is said that later joined his colleagues to impound defective vehicles. Samuel N. Borbor was sent by Harris Morgan, Chief of Operations at the Police Zone 4 base with a driver to be identified to make some intervention into the release of other vehicles.
Investigation also revealed that after victim Alieu Sheriff was discovered unconscious, Inspectors Thomas Sackor and Alexander Seakor insisted that Patrolman Samuel N. Borbor, who was lastly holding on to the victim, should not leave until they all report to the LNP headquarters.
For his part, defendant Alexander Seakor was charged with Criminal Facilitation in violation of Chapter 10.2 of the revised penal law of the Republic of Liberia connection with the death of Truck Conductor Alieu Sheriff.
In a statement given to police as to his connection in the alleged crime, defendant Seakor said it was on Thursday, July 29,2021, precisely 11:45 am, while en route to Stephen Tolbert Estate when he arrived at the National Transit Authority site, when he saw huge crowd at the NTA gate.
He furthered explained that having been informed previously that his colleague, Inspector Thomas S. Sackor was the head of the defective vehicles inspection team, he decided to get down from the vehicle he was riding so as to know what was unfolding.
According to defendant Seakor, his colleague, officer Sackor informed him that more than fifteen vehicles including trucks were arrested and impounded.
Defendant Seakor said that when officer Seckor received order from Commissioner Walter B. Wray (U-105) to release Sethi Brothers’ vehicles, the other vehicles drivers started disturbing the process, demanding that if Sethi Brothers vehicles are released, their vehicles should also be released.
The Police officer said that it was during that process that officer Sackor requested his assistance to ask the drivers out of the NTA compound.
At that time, defendant Seakor and Co-defendant Borbor went outside with the drivers and were later attacked by few of them, including the deceased, Alleu Sheriff.
Defendant Seakor further stated that while in the NTA compound, there was an alarm that Co-defendant Borbor was tussling with the drivers, so he opened the small gate and saw Co-defendant Borbor foot up and he shouted his name three times to get himself from in the midst of the crowd. He, defendant Seakor said he surprisingly heard from the crowd that a police officer had beaten someone to death, And this was how Inspector Sackor was contacted by the Police Central Headquarters, according to the charge sheet.