FUAMAH, Bong – Last Thursday morning, residents within the China Union concession area awoke to news of a gruesome murder of two security officers of the Loyal Protective Guard Service, also known as LPGS.

Families and co-workers said Oldman Kwesi and Morris Togba had left their homes to take up three-day assignments at the water pumping station of China Union when they met their untimely death.

G. Baccus Zeh, Managing Director of LPGS, confirmed the information and noted that two of his officers were deployed to a China Union-operated dam in Margibi County.

“This dam also houses one of the biggest generators supplying the China Union concession,” Zeh said. He added that the two officers were assigned on Monday, Nov 9 to the site, which had valuable high tension and copper wires connected to the generator. Kwesi’s widow, however, said her late husband left for work on Sunday, Nov 8.

The generator near where the guards were stationed. Photo: Zeze Ballah

On Tuesday, Zeh said an inspector visited the site, and “upon his return to the area on Wednesday, the officers were not seen at their guard post.”

The inspector initially thought the officers had deserted their post but then he “noticed that the generator was scraped off its high tension and copper wires.” The generator has been switched off since China Union scaled down its operations in the area three months ago.

Copper wires cut and taken away by criminals at China Union. Photo: Zeze Ballah

After the inspector reported his discovery to the supervisor, investigators searched the homes of the officers, but were told by family members that the missing men had not yet returned from work.

Investigators then returned to the site and launched a search, at which time they noticed a bag floating over the river near the dam.

A Liberia National Police forensic team retrieved a bag from the river containing one of the guards’ body and the body of the other officer was later retrieved with the help of a diver from a nearby town. The bags had been tied to stones to cause the bodies to sink.

The river where the guards’ bodies were found. Photo: Zeze Ballah

Zeh said the security firm is working with the police to apprehend the perpetrators. He said the murders have caused fears among residents of the concession area.

He has scheduled a meeting with the management of China Union to strategize on how to prevent the recurrence of such incidence.

During a recent visit by The Bush Chicken to the area, some LPGS guards were observed to have been stationed at their posts in pairs for three days, often in isolated areas and without communication gadgets.

Additionally, the concession area is poorly lit, making the work of the guards more dangerous.

The Bush Chicken also discovered that some guards are dropped off by the China Union’s locomotive on their way to work and walked for several hours before reaching their assignment areas.

When asked why security officers did not carry communication gadgets, Zeh said there is no need because the dam is located in an isolated area within the company’s concession area.

“This is the first time officers of the LPGS have been murdered [on duty] since the security institution was established in 1990,” he said.

Yatta Kwesi, widow to Oldman Kwesi told The Bush Chicken in Sackie Gbomoh Town that her late husband had been expected back home on Wednesday morning.

To her surprise, she saw some of his colleagues in the town on Wednesday morning informed her that he had stolen copper wires and they were looking for him.

“I told the LPGS security officers that for the years I have stayed with my husband, I have never known him to be a thief,” Kwesi said.

She noted that after several hours, the same officers came back to her with news about her husband’s death and said his mutilated body was found floating over a river at his assignment post.

Her husband had been found tied in a rice bag with bruises.

“I’m now left with six children, the youngest of which happens to be two months old,” Kwesi said, as tears rolled down her face.

Yatta Kwesi with four of her six children in Sackie Gbomoh Town. Photo: Zeze Ballah

She now faces an uncertain future in how she will raise her children without a father. She said family members were only given L$2,000 (US$23) to help with her husband’s burial by the supervisor, Klay O. Dormu. She added that the security company’s management had not paid her any visit since her husband’s death was reported.

Dormu refused to comment. “I am not speaking to any journalist now on the issue involving our two security officers,” he maintained.

For his part, Allen Fu, China Union’s Public Relations Manager, told The Bush Chicken via mobile phone that the murder was likely carried out by local criminals.

Several persons have been rounded up by the police in Fuamah and are being interrogated in connection to the case.

Police in the area have also refused to comment on the murders but said investigations are continuing.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah