Liberia: Land Dispute Rocks Johnsonville Township

A long-standing land dispute in Johnsonville Township has erupted into a heated conflict between the Kanjah Comman Inter Estate and the Fahn Karkor Inter Estate. Moses Gbour, the administrator of Kanjah Comman Inter Estate, finds himself caught in the middle, defending not just a piece of land but a multi-generational family heritage.

Gbour traces his family's ownership back to 1913 when his parents acquired a significant 115-acre tract of land. This land holds sentimental value as a cherished legacy for his family, where Gbour himself was raised in a home built by his grandfather.

“The Fahn Karkor Inter Estate Family claims ownership of land that they do not rightfully own. They even demolished structures on our property,” Gbour said while naming other legitimate landowners in the area who, he said, can vouch for his claim.

The ongoing conflict has seen its fair share of legal battles since 2015. Gbour expressed frustration over perceived biases in the survey process conducted by MacArthur Bean, a government surveyor from the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), which he believes has fueled further discord.

“I went back to Cllr. Morris Davis at Calm and Associate Law Firm, who is the lawyer for our estate, told him that MacArthur has not conducted the survey, and he said to me that if MacArthur does not go to conduct the survey, the government will find him. But surprisingly, when MacArthur came to court with a survey report, I do not know where he got his report from because I was not represented,” he said. “MacArthur is the one who has created this problem for me that has led me to not have a sleeping place. Because of that, I see corruption, disrespect, and disadvantage as well. My fear here is that they will kill me overnight, so I want the government of Liberia to come into the matter and release me because I am in danger.”

While Gbour possesses a deed recognized by the government and the LLA, the Fahn Karkor Inter Estate Families dispute his claim. This disagreement intensified when a judge's ruling led to the demolition of structures on Gbour’s property, leaving him and others displaced.

“The Fahn Karkor people said the land that I am residing on is for them, and we went to court, and the court’s ruling was based on arbitration. The arbitration was ruled on by Judge Fika; they came and demolished four houses in my yard, so presently I do not have a place to sleep,” he said. “I am currently staying at one of my sister's places. We are about ten inhabitants who have been affected by the demolishing of our homes.”

In response, a representative from the Fahn Karkor family recounted their side of the dispute, highlighting past legal rulings favoring their ownership claims dating back to 1976. The crux of the issue seems to revolve around conflicting historical claims and legal interpretations.

“In 1975, we had similar land issues with a man named Daniel Tarr, and the case was taken to court. In 1976, the court ruled in favor of us and issued us a clerk certificate, putting us in possession of the property,” he explained.

He added, “Yet again in 2000 came Moses Gbour, claiming that he had land here at the same place too, and we sued him.”

After 13 years of legal battle, the Karkor family won the case, but the Gbours took an appeal to the Supreme Court.

“The high court sent the case to the lower court for the court to act upon his decision because he said they did not do a survey. The lower court sent us back on the field, and we did the second survey again, and we won the case,” Karkor disclosed.

He argues that Gbours’ deed was deemed false by the court, leading to their family's rightful claim to the property.

“The court canceled his deed because they said it was a false deed. In the court's final ruling, they issued us a writ of possession which states that “the proposed deed, the title deed being used by the respondent to falsely claim title to the informant forty-five acres of land, is hereby revoked, notified, and the respondent order injected and evicted from the informant forty-five acres of land, and the informant is in possession.” When the court did this, they placed us in possession of our land,” he narrated.

However, both parties stress the importance of accurate information and the need for clear delineations to prevent future conflicts. The Johnsonville Township situation underscores the complexities surrounding land ownership in Liberia, underscoring the necessity of reaching a just and equitable resolution.

Both sides agree on the importance of peaceful conflict resolution through adherence to the rule of law, and they appeal to the Liberian government for intervention to bring about a harmonious conclusion for all parties involved in the dispute.