It is now becoming a common thing to hear of shooting incidents involving the discharge of firearms by state security officers against peaceful and unarmed civilians.
What’s going wrong with our State security officers and the proper handling of their firearms?
Except for the shooting incident that occurred early last month on the Bushrod Island Star Base Duty Station of the Armed Forces of Liberia, which happened between two military armed personnel, the rest of the four shooting cases in June and the first week of July 2022, have been state security officers turning their arms on unarmed and peaceful Liberians. The four incidents all ended tragically with the loss of lives.
The first of these tragedies happened when a fully-loaded, trigger-happy soldier of the Armed Forces of Liberia turned his gun on one of his comrades on the evening of Monday, June 6, 2022. Until unconfirmed details had emerged, the army high command had said the incident was unintentional.
As a result of that, the Headquarters of the Armed Forces of Liberia had ordered an immediate lockdown of the duty station.
“This sad incident left one soldier dead and another severely injured, who is undergoing medical treatment and care at the John F. Kennedy Medical Center,” the Army Headquarters said in a statement.
The other incident happened in on June 13, 2022 in Kakata, Margibi County. On that Monday, Kakata erupted in a serious pandemonium when youths of the city violently took to the streets demanding justice for the death of one of their colleagues identified as Rufus. The 17-year-old had been allegedly shot and killed by the police chief of operations in that part of the country.
It was earlier reported that Rufus was shot because he was a criminal, but residents of the area where the incidence occurred rejected same, claiming that the victim was not a criminal.
On Monday, July 4, 2022, the Liberia National Police (LNP) announced that they have arrested an Executive Protective Service (EPS) officer Patrick Kollie for allegedly shooting and killing an unarmed civilian, Mr. Valentine T. Johnson.
According to the Police, the shooting incident took place at the Police Academy Junction in Paynesville in the very early hours of Monday, July 4, 2022.
The police’s story was corroborated by eyewitnesses that the deceased was reportedly shot around 12: A.M. while returning from the famous Seny Bar around the Duport Road Junction, along with some ladies, by this EPS officer, who was riding in an unmarked Hyundai car.
The Presidential Security officer was assigned with Bill Twehway, Managing Director of the National Port Authority. The weapon used in the shooting incident is also in the possession of LNP.
While Liberians were digesting the Police Academy shooting incident involving a now disrobed EPS officer, residents of Bushrod Island woke up to another shooting incident, this involving an officer of the Liberia National Police (LNP) who was assigned with the Emergency Response Unit (ERU).
IPNEWS gathered that another shooting incident is said to have occurred in Popo’s Beach, New Kru Town in Montserrado County, District #16, leaving one Liberian dead.
According to our sources, an officer of the Emergency Response Unit of the Liberia National Police allegedly shot a disadvantaged youth (zogos) named Brazilian Cafu and the victim was later pronounced dead before reaching a health center.
Our sources added that the alleged shooter (ERU officer) James Togba reportedly requested cash from the camp of disadvantaged youths, and the victim along with his colleagues refused to give him the cash he demanded.
We don’t know how well the psyches of these state officers are prepared by their respective agencies before they are issued firearms. We think the state needs to do more on the backgrounds of recruits before they can be trusted with firearms because we don’t really know what’s gone wrong with our state security personnel and their guns.
