PHOTO: Once scene from the protest
By King Brown, sarwahking@gmail.com
BUCHANAN, Liberia- In demand of justice, over one hundred angry youths of Wee Statutory District, Grand Bassa County have staged a massive protest, which led to several persons being injured, destruction of properties, and the burning of a car.
On July 27, 2021, the lifeless body of a 15-year-old boy, Bartu Faith Jacob was discovered hanging at his parents’ residence in Wayzohn City, but Coroner Jury examination of the body later discovered foul play, with link to ritualistic activity.
The protest took place over the weekend (Saturday, July 31, 2021) and the vehicle, which was set on fire is believed to be owned by a close friend of the deceased father who allegedly slept in the house on the night the teenager died,
One of those injured during the protest
They alleged that the owner of the vehicle is linked to the gruesome murdered of their friend.
The aggrieved protesters took the streets of Wayzohn City chanting, “No investigation, no burial,” as they burned tires and sticks in the street from the morning hours up to the evening, demanding justice for the 15-year-old boy and calling for the perpetrators to face severe penalty.
According to the leader of the protesters, about five youths in the district have died under mysterious circumstances without a full-scale investigation conducted, warning that the death of little Bartu will not go in vain.
The protest halted normal activities in the area on Saturday.
As the tension grew, Police reinforcement from the Police Support Unit were dispatched there to calm the situation and order has since been restored.
Just a day after Liberia’s 174th Independence Day celebration, Tuesday, July 27, 2021, a 15-member Coroner Jury examined the remains of the boy and reported that his neck was broken, fluids were taken from his nose while his penis was not be found. They said jurors said they also noticed leakage of blood from his right leg and the anus of the child was tempered with.
FLASHBACK:: Little Bartu Faith Jacob when he was found hanging from the roof of the house
It was based on this result that they concluded that foul play was committed and not suicide as was initially suspected.
But the Commander of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Liberia National Police in Grand Bassa County, James Papa Yekeku has told the deceased family members, local authorities, and security actors that the boy died as a result of hanging and he was not being murdered as was suspected.
Commander Yekeku maintained that the Coroner Jury’s report did not corroborate with what was observed earlier on the victim’s body by the police, adding that the child committed suicide and as such, the 15-member oroner jury report that pointed out alleged foul play could not be considered.
He claimed it was done on physical observation which cannot be proven by health personnel, which prompted him to officially turn over the corpse over to the family for burial.
Another image from Saturday’s protest
But the leaders of the protesting citizens, Stephens Z. Garway and Eric Day-you-gar wondered why the Coroner Jury’s report would be nullified, when the examination showed that there was foul play.
They claimed that the CSD Commander’s statement was ‘a clever attempt to destroyed living evidence and set the perpetrators free.’
The position of the Police is believed to have sparked Saturday’s violent protest in the district.
Meanwhile, the remains of little Bartu have been deposited at the Emma Juah funeral home in the area, pending in-depth investigation to uncover what may have possibly caused the death of the teenager.