15 Illegal Immigrants Arrested at Liberian-Guinean Border

Fifteen illegal immigrants, all Liberians, have been nabbed and processed to court by the officers of the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization Liberia (BIN) for their illegal entry into the country through the Liberian borders with Guinean and Sierra Leonean. Immigrants were arrested on the 4th of January after they are alleged to have illegally, criminally and in defiance of the laws of Liberia crossed the border into Liberia with no regard to the Liberian government’s closure of the border to neighboring countries in the wake of the outbreak of the deadly ebola virus in the Liberia.

A charge sheet issued by the Bureau of Immigration identified the immigrants as Pinky Oral Lougon, Cecelia Weamia, Rebecca N.Dennis, Kadie Konteah, Irene Marpue Shegbeh and Famata Kroma. Migrants

Others are Jonathan Amiob, Martin Rogers, Fatu Na Sambo, John H. Mathies and Mohammed M. Kamara. The rest are Daniel Banya, Mary K. Baysah, Idrissa Turay and Enoch M. S. Sayuwo.

The Charge Sheet, dated January 7, 2015 disclosed that the accused defendants on December 13, 14, 15 and 20 2014 respectively used the Bo-Waterside bypass in Grand Cape Mount county and the Ganta bypass in Nimba to have crossed from Sierra Leone and Guinea respectively.

Although the charge sheet has shown that the principal defendant, Pinky Oral Lougon, and her accomplices charged with “Aiding and Harboring Illegal immigrants” and “illegal penetration of borders of Liberia” are Liberians, the Immigration Bureau said their actions contravened Sections 5.90 (b) of the New Aliens and Nationality Laws of Liberia

Detailing the offense, the bureau explained in its charge sheet that as of January 4, 2015, both the defendant and her accomplices were arrested based on verified information gathered by its officers that the individuals named above “illegally, criminally and in defiance” violated the immigration laws based on which President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf closed the borders in the wake of the Ebola outbreak when they crossed into Liberia from Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The Bureau of Immigration charge sheet further explained that that the accused and her accomplices were arrested at her premises in Barnard Farm in Paynesville.

The accused, according to the officers of the Bureau in the charge sheet, were arrested with their travelling document such as passports bearing numbers E0190067, AA109848, L113572, L0194485, OR0125280, L095703 and N14185.

Besides, the Bureau of Immigration said the accused immigrants have also confessed collaboratively their violation in their documentary statements in possession of the Immigration during investigation.

It was explained that the prime defendant, Pinky Oral Lougon, provided accommodations and feeding for them at her resident in the Bernard Farm Community, against the dictates of Sections 5.90 and 5.91 (b) of the new Aliens and Nationally Law of Liberia.

The Bureau in the charge sheet furthered that having informed both defendants as well as their accomplices of their rights, they declared waiver respectively after which the admitted to crossing the borders through the bypasses in Bo Waterside and Ganta borders respectively