By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Fingers are being pointed at the Liberia National Police for allegedly causing the death of a man, 23, who recently gave them tipoff on alleged armed robbery attak.
The Police at the Zone 4 station are being blamed for the death of the man identified as Abraham Dolo after he gave them tipoff concerning an alleged armed robbery, as he was kept in the cell with armed robbers.
After the late Dolo gave the police the tipoff of an alleged armed robbery attack, the alleged armed robbers were arrested along with victim Dolo. He was placed in the same cell with those accused of carrying out the armed robbery, where he was severely beaten to death by them.
Although the police allegedly caused the death of victim Dolo, they charged defendants Benjamin Williams, Lamine Kanneh, Emmanuel Mulbah, Lawrence Youhn, Williams Simbiano, Victor Manneh and Henry James with manslaughter and Criminal conspiracy, while defendant Robert Wille was charged with Criminal facilitation.
The alleged act of the Defendants were in violation of Chapter 14, Subchapter “A” section 14.2 and Chapter 10, section 10.4 of the revised penal code of the republic of Liberia.
The crime Criminal facilitation is in violation of Chapter 10 section 10.3 of the same penal code for their complicities into recklessly causing the death of victim Abraham Dolo the police Charged sheet said.
During police investigation to establish what led to the death of Abraham Dolo while in police holding cell, it was revealed by eye witnesses that from Tuesday, October 13 to Saturday, October 17, 2020, there were series of armed robbery attacks on residents of Monrovia’s Gardnersville suburb. In that attack, residents in this community were robbed of their many valuable items, including money.
The police charged sheet further added that due to the constant armed robbery attacks at broad day against peaceful residents, the police embarked on conducting a raids to curb and apprehend those Defendants who allegedly carried out the armed robbery and terrorizing those communities to bring calm to peaceful residents.
It was disclosed through police Investigation that as the result of the police raid conducted within the S. Micheal School vicinity, New Georgia old field and the Barnesville communities, twenty-three(22) Suspected criminals were arrested including victim Dolo and placed in the police holding cell at zone 4 base for screening.
Police Investigation conducted also revealed that on 17th October 2020, while, the suspected criminals were declined in the cell, at about 0200hrs, defendant Robert Willie ordered the five stars Benjamin Williams and six other defendants in persons of Lamine Kanneh, Henry James, Emmanuel Mulbah, Lawrence Youhn, Williams Simbiano, Victor Manneh to take victim Dolo to the rest room and tortured him for exposing their hide out to the police who carried on raiding.
In the process, defendants Benjamin Williams who was the Five Star, Lamine Kanneh, Emmanuel Mulbah, Lawrence Youhn, Williams Simbiano, Victor Manneh and Henry James took victim Dolo in the rest room and tortured him for exposing their hideout to the police.
Eventually, they stripped him naked, forced his shirt into his mouth to stop him from screaming while being beaten by them and his face against the concrete wall several times, until he became helpless.
The following morning on October 18, 2020, the victim was discovered lying unconscious in the cell at which time the police took him to the Redemption Hospital on the Bushrod Island,where he was pronounced Dead On Arrival(DOA).
The beating to death of 23-year-old Abraham Dolo, who gave the Police tipoff on the armed robbery has made many to wonder what level of protection there is for people who assist the Police with information on such crimes.
However, other suspects who were in the cell at the time–Jeremiah Menyongai, Malyc Dike, Mohammed Sannah, Gabriel Farycambo and Henry Nyenkan–said they won’t be sacrificial lamb for those who allegedly killed victim Dolo.
They disclosed the names of the Defendants mentioned, but they said they were being intimidated by the defendants, threatening eliminate them. They said they are being told to make one statement that the victim was never beaten, but that he died as the result of pepper spray and teargas being sprayed in the cell among inmates.
Meanwhile, the defendants have been sent to court and detained at the Monrovia Central Prison, awaiting court trial.