By William Selmah,wselmah@gmail.com
President George Manneh Weah says his government will do all in its reach to arrest and prosecute ‘armed robbers’ suspected of killing a German expatriate Wednesday in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, about 88 miles from the Liberian capital, Monrovia.
Gun men broke into the home of Juergen Schedema, alias Youkee and killed him during the early hours of January 22, 2020 in Big Joe Town. He was Manager of the International Consultant Company (ICC) prior to his death.
According to eyewitnesses, Saah P-Early, one of the security on duty disclosed that about 1:30 am, 13 armed robbers wearing masks, trooped into the logging company’s compound in Big Joe Town. They came from the back of the company and entered into the building and first tied the four security officers who were at the front gate and took them into a room along with some other staff of the company.
Immediately after the incident, the Liberia National Police (LND) deployed a contingent to the company’s compound and has since begun investigations into the attack on the German citizen and has launch hot pursuit for the armed men.
A statement on the Executive Mansion website says President Weah “extends his deepest condolences to the government and people of the Federal Republic of Germany for the brutal murder”.
He said police was working with local authorities to bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice.
“Such savagery does not define Liberians; we are a hospitable people who will go all out to help visitors in our country”, the President is quoted as saying.
He noted that “Schedema’s death is a loss not just for the people of Germany, but all Liberians”.
An eye witness account explained following the incident that the attackers tied and locked four security personnel on duty and some staff in one of the rooms before carrying out the act.
This is the second time in less 10 years that armed men have taken the life of a foreign national in Grand Bassa County.
In November 2010, Belgian national Michael Bruno, then Manager at the Liberia Agriculture Company (LAC) was killed in similar fashion in in the LAC rubber plantation.