Liberia: Marketeers Flog Colleague for Auctioning Goods

A middle-aged woman and her son were flogged by some marketeers in Ganta City, Nimba County, for undermining their business.

The disgruntled marketers, all of whom sell used clothes in the Ganta general market, said the act of the woman and her son to auction their goods undermines the price set by the other marketeers, preventing customers from coming to their tables. They accused the woman of spoiling the price of used clothes in the market by her auction, which also deterred customers from buying from the rest of them.

Salee Kamara, a Sierra Leonean who had been living in Ganta for decades, said when she got in the market, her colleagues obstructed her from selling because her business strategy prevented buyers from coming to them.

“As soon as I started packing my goods on the table, they jumped on my son, choked him on his neck, causing bruises all over his neck and face,” the lady said. They spoiled my canopy, saying I am not from Ganta and I came to spoil their business when I had all my family and was constructing a store in the same general market. They beat us for nothing. We did nothing wrong.”

According to Kamara, she sometimes opens over 15 bags of children’s used clothing and places them on auction, especially during Ganta special market day, which is every Thursday.

“I bought each bag for US$150 and it contained over 300 pieces of clothing, so if I sell each for L$150, I will receive L$45k on one bag, which of course is a good profit for me,” she said. “They spoiled my canopy, saying I am not from Ganta and I came to spoil their business when I had all my family here and in the process of constructing a store in the same general market,” she said in a very sad tone.

Meanwhile, Police in Ganta allowed the case to be withdrawn by the Ganta Marketing Superintendent Teneh Younh to have it settled at the market level. Madam Younh has condemned the incident but said the women got agitated when the victim's son shouted in the ear of one of the women, something the boy has denied.

However, the accused marketers have refused to comment on the allegation, but they were seemingly rallying money to free one of their friends who was jailed for assaulting the used clothing boy, Victor Lakpor after the marketing superintendent’s intervention. 

The action of the marketers got many angry for their disgruntled behaviors toward their colleague, marketer, only because she auctioned her own goods.

“What they should have done is to purchase all the woman goods and take their own time to sell them, but not to disrupt her business,” said some motorcyclists.