By Emmanuel Koffa
Their petition signals a deeper demand — not just for prosecution in a single case, but for lasting protection, transparency, and accountability in a county where fear is steadily replacing trust.
BARCLAYVILLE, Liberia— Angered by a string of brutal killings and what they describe as a troubling silence surrounding investigations, women across Grand Kru County have taken their demands directly to the county’s highest authority.
At the forefront of the action is former Grand Kru County Superintendent Doris N. Ylatun, who led a coalition of women’s groups in formally petitioning current Superintendent Antoinette Wowlee Nimely for urgent intervention.
The petition was officially received by Grand Kru County Administrative Officer Alphonso D.N. Teah, acting on behalf of Superintendent Nimely.
Former Grand Kru Gender Coordinator Sarah Nyema read the statement aloud, outlining what she described as the women’s deep frustration over the “continued brutal murder of women and children” in the county.
The petition references the December 16, 2025 killing of Rose Tated in Chengbetee, Dorbor District, and the September 19, 2024 murder of 12-year-old Isaac Kojo Sieh in Dargbeville, Sasstown.
The women argue that while authorities visited the crime scenes, the public has not been sufficiently informed about the outcomes of those investigations.
“Honorable Superintendent, why must this always continue to happen when everyone deserves the right to live?” the petition stated.
The women are demanding immediate, transparent, and impartial investigations, calling on county authorities, the Ministry of Justice, civil society actors, and the Judiciary to ensure justice is served.
Madam Ylatun stressed that the action represents unity among rural women’s groups, the Women United Sisters Association, and Young Sisters across the county.
She warned that the safety of women and children must become a priority, not an afterthought.
The protest follows earlier unrest in Chengbetee, where women demanding justice allegedly burned down a businessman’s shop amid rising tensions over the killing.
Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police has charged 26-year-old power saw operator Bobbyson Bobby in connection with the murder of 34-year-old Rose Tarty, whose body was discovered in Chengbetee Forest.
Police say the victim was reported missing on December 15, 2025.
A search party later found her body lying in the forest with a wooden-handle knife nearby. She was pronounced dead by medical personnel.
Authorities disclosed that the suspect fled to Nimba County but was later arrested and returned to Grand Kru.
During interrogation, he allegedly confessed that a dispute over LD$100 led to a struggle that ended in the victim’s death.
He is now formally charged with murder and sent to court.
For many women in Grand Kru, however, one arrest does not end the broader concern.
Their petition signals a deeper demand — not just for prosecution in a single case, but for lasting protection, transparency, and accountability in a county where fear is steadily replacing trust.