-Drivers, business people decry acts, demand urgent intervention
By Edwin M. Fayia, III, edwinfayia@yahoo.com
Reports gathered by www.newspublictrust.com on the Voinjama and Gbarnga Highways in Lofa and Bong Counties speak of the enforcement Coronavirus Disease (COVID 19) restrictions by security agencies, but some of their actions have opened another big extortion spree.
This is however coming at the detriment of the helpless travellers, truck drivers and business people.
During a five-day trip recently by the writer, it was observed that an extensive collection of money from commercial drivers, private vehicle owners and businessmen and women at the numerous check points mounted on the two highways.
Visibly in disbelief of the actions of police, immigration officers and other plain clothes security agents, open demands are made for drivers, businessmen, women and expatriates who are one way or other carrying out critical development projects such as the COVID-19 assistance to rural Liberians in Bong and Lofa Counties.
Regrettably, check points are mounted everyday few yards away from each other and manned by countless security agents who were seen in desperate moods demanding for money or else the vehicles remain confine for several hours, all in the name of enforcing the COVID19 health restrictions on the Bong and Lofa highways.
Specifically on the Lofa highway, starting from the commercial hub of Foya and through the last check point at Beyan Town few miles from the Saint Paul Bridge, commercial drivers, businessmen, women and other travellers went through all kinds of humiliations at the hands of security agents all intended to enforce the COVID-19 health restrictions.
Dozens of businessmen and women told this news outlet that COVID-19 health restrictions at the various check points on the Lofa highway have become epicenter financial gains on the part of security agents and urgent intervention by bosses of the security agencies cannot be over emphasized.
In Bong County, check points were so many that Liberians and foreign residents started wondering whether the check points were been set up for COVID19 health restrictions or to enrich the pockets of security agents deployed on the Gbarnga highway.
“Give us some of the money now you have taken from passengers or else you remain stranded for days if not weeks because we are at these check points making sure to enforce the Corona Virus Disease restrictions without fear and favor on all categories of Liberians and foreign residents,” a desperate security officer demanded.
In an interview with this this news outlet on April 14, 2020 in Paynesville, a regular commercial driver that constantly uses the Ganta commercial hub Darlington Kaizolu intimated that to date at night, 14 check points are being set up and at each of them drivers are demanded to pay not less than LD$500.00. This is approximately US$3 currently.
Mr. Kaizolu further claimed that security agents assigned at night hours at most of the check points take bribes of all kinds owing to the fact that security officers are paying themselves on those highways in several parts of rural Liberia.
He however, underscored the need for the central leaderships of the various security agencies in the country and health authorities to redesign professional strategies that would enhance the free movement of goods, people and services on many of the Liberian highways.
One cannot easily get the security manning those checkpoints to talk about this subject and the stream of allegations from traders about the issue of extortion.
In related development, three truck drivers that arrived in Paynesville outside Monrovia on April 18, 2020 and offloaded mainly agriculture produce from four agriculturally driven districts of Foya, Kolahun and Voinjama in Lofa County told this news organ that at all major check points, security agents demand LD$1,500.00, in order to allow them to convey goods to Monrovia and later convey critically needed goods to rural Liberians in the country.
Truck driver Edward B. Kazarku, 54, claimed that on April 18, 2020, he nearly spent more than LD$8,000.00 and such extortion from security agents on the Lofa highway is indeed a menace that should claim the attention of the Liberian Government.
“I must stress here that the leaderships of security agencies must begin to design other realistic strategies that will ensure the free movement of goods and services to all parts of our country,” Mr. Kazarku pleaded.