On January 13, 2025, a suspected thief named Momoh David was apprehended by security personnel while attempting to steal solar panels from a property around the LC Lawson School in Congo Town.
During his capture near a swamp close to the Chinese Embassy, David sustained severe injuries, including a deep head wound, reportedly inflicted by the security officers and unidentified individuals.
According to reports, the security officers, along with David’s father, transported him to the residence of a local businessman known as “Chinese Michael” on Congo Town Back Road, seeking assistance for transportation.
The report indicated that “Chinese Michael” provided $20 for the security officers to take David to the Zone 3 Police Station.
Upon arrival, police directed that David receive medical treatment for his injuries. However, while being transported to the hospital, David reportedly escaped.
Reactions are divided, with some expressing sympathy for David and others alleging a history of criminal activity.
With public outcry mounting due to the alleged maltreatment against Momoh, DN News Liberia joined a team of journalists to ascertain the facts.
In a community just adjacent to the Chinese Embassy, the scourge of Momoh’s thievery is visible. Almost every resident has an account of Momoh’s theft in the community.
“They suppose to kill that pekin; he put me a $600USD problem”. A young man walking by the road stated minutes after we told him we had come to ascertain the facts behind the incident.
“I’m a victim. He (Momoh) stole from me before. He used ladders and stole our phones,” James Quiah another young man told us.
James added that he personally has pleaded with Momoh to stop stealing.
“After Momoh stole our phones and went ahead again to steal all the wires in a property I am a caretaker for, I knelt down and begged him. ‘Momoh, this is people’s property; please leave it.’ Just for me to go to work, Momoh entered the property and stole all the windows,” James recounted.
James is just one of many people with accounts of Momoh’s thievery.
The Congo Town Community Co-Chairman, Mr. Sumo J. Nayalay speaking as an eyewitness to the incidents that occurred in January 2025, explained that he had rescued Momoh from several incidents of theft. He narrated his role as a community leader.
“I heard people shouting ‘rogue, rogue’ from the fence, so I went there and asked them to stop beating Momoh. We took him to his parents, but his mother and father refused to accept him, claiming that Momoh has always brought shame to the family,” Nayalay said.
Nayalay added that before the main incident involving the Chinese man, Momoh was involved in three previous incidents of theft in the same week.
“The man (Momoh) was caught in Lester Kromah’s fence on the 12th of January. He had injuries on his head and body. I went there to rescue him,” He explained.
Amid all this, Momoh sits at home bearing the physical effects of the incidents that occurred in a single week—beaten for wire, phones, window glass, and finally a solar panel.
Momoh told our team he was badly handled by a Chinese national after he had gone into the fence to see his father, who was working at the place. While there, he decided to take a solar panel.
“He told his guys to tie me, and he pepper-sprayed my ears, put me in a bathroom, and later poured hot oil on me,” Momoh alleged.
He said all this was done to him because of a solar panel he picked up from the fence.
“The solar panel was lying down, so I decided to take it to connect light in my room,” Momoh stated.
Contrary to residents’ accounts of Momoh’s repeated thefts and multiple incidents in the same week, Momoh claimed he had no previous incidents during that week. However, he admitted that this was not his first time being caught for stealing.
Contradictions, however, are evident in David’s account. He stated that he entered the premises at 12:45 p.m., whereas police reports and witness statements place the time of the incident at 9:00 a.m. Furthermore, police records confirm that David was previously injured on January 12, when he was caught in another theft attempt.
Medical professionals treated him at ELWA Hospital only on January 17—four days after the solar panel incident.
According to Police records in our possession, It took David 28 days to file a formal complaint against “Chinese Michael” for alleged torture. When Officer R13 recorded David’s statement in the hospital, the date was initially backdated to January 13, 2025, later corrected to February 8, 2025.
While some believe David’s claims of mistreatment deserve further investigation, others emphasize the disruptive pattern of thefts attributed to him.
Police authorities have yet to issue a conclusive report on the incident, but questions persist regarding the timing, injuries, and events surrounding David’s arrest and the allegations of torture.
