GANTA, Nimba – Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh has officially lifted the ban on the operation of commercial motorcycles in Ganta.

Commercial motorcycles were banned on September 30 by the Justice Ministry and Nimba County authorities following violent activities that led to the burning of properties belonging to businessman Prince Howard, the ransacking of the Ganta Police Station, and the murder of one person during the violence.

Sannoh made the announcement in a press briefing held in Ganta yesterday evening. The Justice Minister, who was accompanied by Liberia’s Information Minister Lewis G. Brown, said the ban was being lifted with conditions attached.

“The point we wanted to make is that, nobody is above the law,” he said. “And when people engage in collective conduct, there has to be some responsibility for what they have done.”

Sannoh said authorities decided to lift the ban based on public outcry and appeals from leaders of the county.

An important precursor to the ban being lifted was a series of meetings between representatives of the motorcyclist union in Ganta and the Nimba County administration. These meetings produced several recommendations that will be implemented, Sannoh said.

Among these recommendations is the requirement that motorcyclists undergo a comprehensive registration process to obtain a permit before being allowed to operate their vehicles. Motorcycles will also now carry a different color and registration number based on the district in which they are primarily operated.

Although all motor vehicles in Liberia are required to register with the Ministry of Transport, registration was previously not enforced by authorities in Ganta. Riders would typically only obtain a sticker from the Liberia Motorcycle Transport Union at the cost of L$500.

Sannoh said commercial motorcycle operations were approved to resume immediately today.

However, he said that there would now be new restrictions for operators. Included among those restrictions is a mandatory curfew beginning at 8:00 p.m. and ending at 5:00 a.m.

Without providing details of crime statistics, Sannoh said that many crimes involving motorcyclists happened at night.

“Any motorbike caught operating beyond the hour of 8 p.m. will be arrested, and the operator charged and sent to court,” he said.

Though Sannoh made these statements, the protests and subsequent mob violence that occurred on September 30 happened in the late morning and afternoon hours.

Conspicuously missing from the Justice Minister’s remarks was whether the new rules would affect motorcycles that were privately operated. During the recent ban, which was intended for commercial motorcyclists, several individuals who owned motorcycles that were not used commercially reported harassment by members of the Police Support Unit.

In one instance, an accountant of the Trust Savings Credit Union AG said his company motorcycle was seized from him, and he was forced to pay L$1000 before police released the vehicle.

The violence in Ganta on September 30 came as a result of the death of one member of the commercial motorcyclists, Nyah Domah, also known as Nathan Whyeglegy, who was found dead with several wounds sustained on the head and other body parts.

Featured photo by Rachel Palmer/Save the Children