The Property-theft Case in Liberia

The fifteen-year civil war in Liberia left behind remnants of an evil that may lead to another war...the remnant of land or property-snatching by people who thought the world had come to an end and that people who ran away to survive would never come back to their country. Many people stole belongings that were not theirs. Many Liberians fell victim to this immoral act. The stories of these victims must be told and heard and the injustice resolved. The piece below is a sample of my frustration:

I just read your interview with the Land Commission Chairman, Dr T.O. Brandy. I also read the other day that our Mandingo brothers in Nimba County are threatening to boycott the 163rd Independence Day Celebration scheduled to be held this year in Sanniquellie. Their contention is that their Mano brothers in Ganta and in other parts of the county have taken back or taken over land purchased from the Manos many, many years ago.

One of the main reasons I visited Liberia in December of 2009 was to try to locate two lots of land I purchased in 1987 on the Robertsfield Highway. Even though I had the Deed in my possession, it was just difficult for me to remember the definite spot, even as I tried to decipher the bearings on the Deed. When I finally located the area, I realized that the corner stones I planted on my property had been uprooted and replaced with corner stones carrying some strange initials. Someone had purchased a piece of property adjacent to mine but thought it wise to take ownership of half of my two lots. This is not right.

With $40 I was able to ask someone to make me new corner stones to mark the piece of the property I thought was still mine. Calling back to Liberia after I returned to the United States, I was told that someone from Ghana had come and again uprooted the corner stones I had replanted. If this is not inciting a land war between the Kweme Family and whoever the person from Ghana is, then I don’t know what to call it!

I might be able to purchase another lot or two, but why should I give in to illegal activities; why must I condone robbery? If the Land Commission can put in place a system to review all deeds and ownership rights to purchased property in the country, I think I will get back the other half of the land the person from Ghana is claiming to be his or hers.

Here is a little research I made: Liberia occupies 43,000 square miles of land. This is about 27,520,000 acres or 11 million plus hectares of land mass. The population of the country is 3, 400,000. Each Liberian, if the math is done correctly, has ownership to about 8 acres of land.

Like everything else that has happened to Liberia, the land issue is a serious matter. A lot of serious talk will have to be done. The whole land-ownership thing needs to be reevaluated and reexamined from scratch. I know that not everyone in Liberia will get his or her eight acres, but no one person should have more land than is required by law.

Chairman Brandy should expect no hi-fives yet. Nothing has been settled. The Chairman needs to come back from those reviews and resolutions and town hall meetings with long-lasting settlements and with flying colors; he needs to end the land disputes and bring land-peace to the country; and then, we will crown him with all the congratulations and praises known to man.