“131 Border Points Vulnerable”

-As Mango Flies Befriend Border Security Officers

By Esau J. Farr

One of the top responsibilities of any given national government is to provide for the security and well beings of its citizens; but it is seen that the government of Liberia is still struggling with the provision of said basic services to the about five million Liberians and foreign nationals in the country.

Despite the presence of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for more than 14 years, the country is said to be facing serious external security threats on its borders.

The disclosure was made this week by the Acting Commissioner of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), Moses K. Yebleh when he was honored by a local non-political group.

According to Mr. Yebleh, the LIS is faced with serious logistical problems to man Liberia’s porous borders.

Statistically, there are 176 crossing or border points into Liberia from her three neighboring countries that include Guinea, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast.

Commissioner Yebleh disclosed that out of the 176 border points, only 45 of them have assigned officers while the rest of the 131 are vulnerable to illegal entries by foreign nationals and evil doers.

The Acting LIS boss revealed that some of the borders are so remote, boring and lonely that mango flies become the only companions of officers assigned to them.

In a related development, fresh report from Grand Kru County speaks of the low presence of officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) in the county.

Report filed in on the Super Morning Show by ELBC’s Grand Kru County Correspondent, Grand Kru which has a population of about 60 thousand inhabitants currently has about 20 Police officers.

The situation has reportedly led to the commander of the Police Detachment in that part of the country to call for the beeping-up of the strength of the officers in the Southeastern county in order to take control of security in the county something seem yet far from be realized.

There has and continues to be call for the presence of more Police officers in rural and semi-urban communities in Liberia due to the low presence of security officers in those areas while more Police officers are seen in surpluses in Monrovia and its surrounding cities.

It can be recalled that a Police officer who begged not to be named was assigned in Gbogeseh in Morweh Statutory District (River Cess County) was seen as the only Police officer in the said district for years (2009-2012) serving in all depot functions as he was commonly called ‘One Man Army’.

He lamented during that time he served as arresting officer, Commander while performing the rest of the tasks as ascribed to depot officers.

The officer narrated that during one of his challenging moments he was whipped by a man who he has gone to arrest for an alleged domestic violence against his (citizen) girlfriend.

He narrated that attempt to have the man arrested and placed in a cell later turned sour when the man in question overpowered him leaving him to survive at the mercy of community dwellers. TNR