Residents of the Catholic community in Oldest Congo Town have formally petitioned the Liberian Senate and House of Representatives seeking legislative intervention in a long-running land dispute that they say has led to repeated harassment and intimidation despite multiple court rulings in their favor.
Speaking during a visit to the Capitol Building on Friday, community representatives accused an individual identified as Stenpton B. Gaye of persistently encroaching on their land and disregarding decisions handed down by the courts, including a ruling by the Supreme Court.
“We came to petition the Senate and our people in the House because we have been harassed and intimidated,” one spokesperson for the community said.
Continuing, she noted: “We took this matter to court and we won. The Supreme Court ruled in our favor, and we have that ruling.”
According to the residents, the alleged harassment has continued even after the Supreme Court decision.
They claimed that groups accompanied by heavy machinery, police officers, and sheriffs, some of whom they say were not clearly identified-have repeatedly entered the community.
“Each time they come, we show them our court documents, but they refuse to look at them,” the spokesperson said, adding that some of the officers were armed and carried tear gas.
The community also referenced a notice from the Probate Court, which they stated, indicated that the properties being claimed by Gaye did not form part of his late father’s estate.
“The Probate Court warned that the properties he claims his father owned do not exist,” the representative said, stressing that everything his father owned was sold before he died.
Residents further alleged that, despite this notice, the disputed land continues to be offered for sale.
They warned that anyone engaging in transactions related to the land risks financial loss, citing what they described as fraudulent claims of ownership.
The petitioners urged the Legislature to summon and caution Gaye, stressing that they wish to resolve the matter through lawful means.
“We do not want to take the law into our own hands. We are asking the national government to intervene because we are tired of the harassment and intimidation,” the spokesperson noted.
However, community leaders also expressed growing frustration, warning that continued inaction could heighten tensions.
“We are pleading with the authorities to warn him to leave us alone,” another resident said. “We want peace, but this situation cannot continue.”
The residents said the courts have instructed those whose homes were damaged during previous confrontations to begin rebuilding, further reinforcing their belief that the legal process has settled the matter in their favor.
As of publication, Stenpton B. Gaye had not publicly responded to the allegations.
There was also no immediate comment from the Liberian Senate regarding whether it would formally take up the petition.
The case underscores ongoing challenges surrounding land ownership disputes in Liberia, where overlapping claims, weak enforcement of court rulings, and historical land tenure issues continue to fuel tensions between communities and private claimants.
