Liberia News: Local Chief Accuses LLA Of Illegal Land Sale in Margibi

By: Moses M. Tokpah

Liberia-The Clan Chief of Waymaquelleh Clan in District #4, Margibi County has accused the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) of being involved into illegal sale of land in the area.

Mr. Edwin K. Naimah recently told reporter in Kakata that the LLA who should be interpreting the Land Rights Act of 2018 is the one now misinterpreting it because of ‘petite cash.’ According to him, some employees of the entity are collaborating with citizens of the clan to illegally sell land belonging to other people in the name of ‘customary land’.

He said laws are not retroactive, but as part of the misinterpretation of the Land Right Acts some hierarchy of the LLA are selling people’s land they claimed are customary Lands. Mr. Naimah said the Act was signed into handbill on September 19, 2018 as such, people who own land from the 40s to 2017 cannot be covered by the document.

He continued that the Act does not provide that if an individual’s father acquired land in 1980 and the Land Rights Act is signed in 2018 it should affect the 1980 document as in his words is the case with one Jenkins Mends-Cole whose father reportedly acquired land in the clan in 1943.

Mr. Naimah accused the LLA customary/dispute officer Esther K. Godu and the LLA resident surveyor David G. Whea as being the ones who are involved into illegal land sale in the clan indicating that they were recently caught carrying on such act in the name of customary land in the clan.

He alleged that the LLA employees in collaboration with the citizens sold over hundred acres of land belonging to one individual to a money exchanger identified as James Holder and two other persons. Additionally, the Clan Chief alleged that the two LLA employees intended selling a land belonging to a lady named Alfreda Tolbert around the Buchanan property, but he halted the process.

He continued that the two individuals again surveyed 300 acres

of land belonging to the Catholic Church with the intention of selling it to a lady identified as Moima, but he put a stop to it. He further accused them of even receiving money from several people and promised to give them land.

He said the constant hobbit of illegally land sale by the LLA employees is jeopardizing the peace of the community and the country at large thereby calling on them to desist from such act. When contacted, officials of the Liberia Land Authority in the county refuted Mr. Naimah’s claims against the entity and their persons. The Land Administrator of Margibi, Manson Bobby Yogar said he has at no time received complain from any of the communities that he is dealing with regarding the involvement of his staff in illegal land sale being reported by Mr. Naimah.

He explained that the LLA is an integrity institution and its employees were sent to the county to do all they can for the purpose of mitigating the tense land crisis and not escalating the crisis. The LLA Boss stated that of the 15 political subdivisions of Liberia, Margibi is the hotspot county for land conflict and as such, they are exerting frantic and pragmatic effort in making sure they counter these situations.

He noted that the LLA is implementing the Land Rights Act to the fullest and not misinterpreting it as being alleged by Mr. Naimah. As for Madam Esther K. Godu and Mr. David G. Whea, they denied their involvement into illegal land sale in the clan and the county at large.

Madam Godu and Mr. Whea also refuted Mr. Naimah’s claims that they are collaborating with citizens of the clan to illegally sell lands thereby denying selling over hundred acres of land to Mr. James Holder. The two LLA Staff also denied having any intent of selling a land belonging to Madam Alfreda Tolbert as well as the accusation of surveying 300 acres of land belonging to the Catholic Church family with the intent of selling it to one Moima.

In addition to that, Madam Godu and Mr. Whea denied receiving money from people with a promise of giving them land. The two LLA staff said Mr. Naimah and other local officials of the clan have always been invited to the LLA’s activities in the area. They then called on the Clan Chief to be able to engage them on issues he may have problem with and stop tarnishes their hard earn repetition.