The Inquirer
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

Posted June 17, 2004

A 16-year old boy has accused the Assistant Police Director for Interpol Affairs of ordering some of his bodyguards to flog him on grounds that he had allegedly stolen a 20-watt tape recorder from his house.
Young Melvin Hayes, a resident of Jamaica Road on the Bushrod Island, said the incident took place on last Sunday when some bodyguards of Assistant Police Director Col. Moulton Nyan ordered him out of his parent’s home at about 2:30am.

Melvin who is a student of the World Wide Mission School on Newport Street, said because some of Director Nyan’s bodyguards live in the same vicinity and are his friends, he politely walked outside to them when they requested that they wanted to see him.

He said upon his arrival, the director’s bodyguards immediately pounced on with beatings and took him to the residence of Col. Nyan, a few yards away from his parent’s house.

According to him, the director and his bodyguards then told him that he stole a tape from the assistant director’ house and so they said he is a criminal.

Melvin who walked into our offices to explain his ordeal, said when they first got to Director Nyan’s house, he ordered them to flog him thereby making to sustain bruises all over his body. He said as a result of the severe beating he received, he began to feel his stomach swollen while as well as his body.

Young Melvin denied any involvement in the alleged act, stressing that at no time has anyone in the community accused him of stealing or neither has he been caught for stealing. Melvin claimed that he had in his possession US$150.00 and L$800.00 the morning the incident he was flogged.

Melvin’s elder brother, Cyrus Hayes who accompanied him to our offices, also said that Melvin was called out of the house before he was allegedly flogged by Col. Nyan’s bodyguards When contacted at his Jamaica Road residence on the issue, Col. Nyan denied ever given orders for the flogging of Melvin.

He said the incident resulting to the flogging of Melvin took place when he (Melvin) was caught by some of the boys living with him as well as some other residents in the community.

According to the Assistant Police Director, he was in bed at about that time but was forced to wake up when he heard the noise around his house. He said before he could come out, Melvin had been beaten by those who caught him for stealing, stressing “I did not give any order as he claims”.

Col. Nyan said, Melvin visits his house frequently like other children in the community to watch video, adding that he was a friendly man and as a police officer he can not order any one to be flogged as he was being accused.

Col. Nyan who claimed that he was vacating the area when he was contacted by our reporter, said a lot of criminal activities occur in the area and that he has been victimized on several occasions.