Armed Men Hit Cocopa
By Our Correspondent in Nimba
Forum
Monrovia, Liberia
Distributed by
The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia
When the FORUM correspondent visited the camp it was discovered that the place was deserted as fear of another attack has gripped the tapers who decided to stay away from work.
“Our lives are in danger,” complained Saye Fah Dolo, headmaster of Camp 2. Every time there is firing in this plantation, our workers can not go to work any more because when ever they packed their rubbers these gangsters will come and take them away,” he continued.
Cocopa Rubber Management has on numerous occasions been in confrontation with citizens of the area alleging that they are involved in stealing the rubber.
“We had made several arrests here but often the perpetrators go unpunished,” said one Forkpah Roberts, an administrator.
Finger has been pointed at some key elements of Flumpa, Gbayblee and Geepoe areas of being behind the stealing.
When contacted, the office of the Administrative Manager, George Lobbo,
said the situation is creating serious problems for the workers and the
staff.
He said there have been several letters dropped in the plantation warning
the workers to leave or they would face the consequence.
One of the letters displayed to our correspondent warned staff and all strangers working in the plantation to leave except the Mano people.
The letter which began with straight warning said, “We don’t want to hear anybody named Massaquoi to take care of our land.”
Maintaining their statement further they said “We have our big man in Sanniquellie that telling us to do all these things.”
The anonymous letter asked the Cocopa authority to turn the plantation over to the Gah, Leasonnoh and Gbannah people.
However, when questioned concerning the letter and land issue one of the administrators, Forkpah Roberts said that these gangs are “just criminals that using the name of the community to accomplish their aim.”
According to Mr. Lobbo since he took over as an Administrative Manager, “I have not been confronted with any group of people concerning land nor did I hear anything like that from my predecessor. But with this continuous situation and with the shooting of our guard U. J. Gray, we are visiting all the chiefs around here for consultation on this matter.”
