PHOTO: Cllr. Kanneh shortly after getting off a drip (IV)
By William Selmah, wselmah@gmail.com
The head of the Law Reform Commission of Liberia, Cllr. Boakai Kanneh says “the rule of law in Liberia is under threat” and that something must urgently be done about it, as he recovers from “severe beating” he and others suffered in the recent election violence in northwestern Gbarpolu County.
Cllr. Kanneh said he and other persons were recently “severely beaten” by a group of men in Nomod, Gbarpolu County, where he had gone to observe an election rerun in which his sisters, Botoe Kanneh (Independent), who is the leading female candidate is contesting the Senatorial seat.
In an exclusive interview with www.newspublictrust.com on Saturday, December 19, 2020 from his bed at the Fidelity Clinic in Monrovia’s Sinkor suburb, he claimed the Police and state security failed to protect them. They were beaten with sticks by men, some of whom he can identify, he said.
The Secretary General of the opposition Alternative National Congress (ANC), Atty. Alloysious Toe was also reportedly among those manhandled in that area.
Agents of the National Security Agency (NSA) first arrested them without charge. Then he said the Liberia National Police officers later arrested and detained them in a cell infested with roaches also without charge.
Police reaction
But in a mobile phone interviews on Saturday evening, the LNP Speokesman, Moses Carter denied that the police failed to protect the Liberian Lawyer and others.
Mr. Carter told www.newspublictrust.com that Kanneh and others were arrested by the police because they were allegedly inciting people in the area to cause trouble.
Further narration of ordeal
Cllr. Kanneh, who is also a Professor of Law at the University of Liberia’s Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, state security prevented people from entering Nomod where the election was due to be conducted, and of a Liberia Immigration Personnel confiscated voter’s cards of around 30 people.
Some of the victims, he said were not first time voters.
The Law Reform Commission boss explained that the entire saga began after the Town Chief of the area came and asked him as to whether he had registered with him (chief) since entering the town, and he replied in the negative before going to formally check in with him.
Following that, he said he saw a group of men advancing and people running helter-skelter with some people saying the “devil” was coming to town. He admitted that even police officers had to flee in the bush at the time.
At that point, Cllr. Kanneh said he opted against running away since he was a traditional “Poro Society” member and even showed his Poro license.
He narrated that a group of men attacked him and started brutalizing him. The severity of the beating, he said caused him to fall to the ground.
“I didn’t see the devil, but I saw a group of men,” the prominent Liberian Lawyer said.
After the attack, they were said to have been barred from leaving the town by their attackers until they found the missing ballot boxes, which they claim were in the possession of Kanneh and others. But the National Elections Commission (NEC) had earlier confirmed that the ballot boxes there were seized by the town chief and taken to his house.
He lamented that the security did not intervene or protect them throughout the incident.
After some discussion with the so-called country devil, Kanneh said they were taken to Gold Town and placed in a very deplorable cell before being taken to Kungbor and turned over to the police.
He said all of that were happening with no formal charge against them.
The Law Reform Commission boss believes no free, fair and transparent election can take place in an environment controlled by a country devil instead of the security.
“Free, fair and transparent elections begin with voters’ registration straight through the casting of ballots to the counting of and announcing of election results, Kanneh pointed out.
Nomod, he added, does not have the enabling environment for the conduct of a credible election.
Asked as to whether he intends to seek justice against his brutalizing, Cllr. Kanneh rhetorically asked, “Where can I take such a case”?
He said it is difficult to file lawsuit against a group that will be assaulting you and at the same time issuing a disclaimer that it was the devil carrying out the act.
After repeated media report on the situation in the area, the Liberian Lawyer was finally taken out of Gbarpolu by the Deputy Inspector General of Police and was later admitted in hospital, where he has been taken treatment since last week.
But the Law Reform Commission boss told this news outlet that X-Ray and other medical test result shows that he did not suffer internal injury nor broken bone, but he has been experiencing severe body pain.
NOTE: Cllr. Kanneh was featured on the Saturday evening’s edition of the WEEKEND FILE, a Public Trust Media Group (PTMG) production in partnership with Capitol FM 89.7 presented by Managing Editor, Frank Sainworla, Jr. on December 19, 2020.