By Joy Mardea Moore
MONTSERRADO, TODEE-Tension is mounting in Todee, Montserrado District #1, as villagers in Jocko and Beaseto accuse Bong County Senator, Prince K. Moye of acquiring ancestral lands under questionable conditions. This land dispute, stretching back to 2018, has left many families reportedly uncompensated and struggling to survive. The conflict highlights broader issues of land rights, fair compensation, and accountability among Liberia’s rural communities.
For generations, the people of Jocko and Beaseto have lived and farmed on these lands, deeply connected to their culture and livelihood. However, villagers claim they were pressured by Moye’s authority to vacate, leading to the loss of property, income, and self-sufficiency.
According to Liberia’s Land Rights Act of 2018, communities with continuous use of land have ownership rights without formal deeds. “This is all we have,” said Momoh F. Diana, a resident of Marquoi Clan, voicing a collective plea for justice.
The villagers’ grievances are fueled by the Senator’s alleged failure to settle payments as agreed. John Ken, a villager in Beaseto, states that although he was promised 197,600 Liberian Dollars (LD) for rubber trees removed from the sold land, only 67,000 LD has been paid over five years, leaving a substantial unpaid balance. Without adequate land for farming, many residents face growing hardships.
Many villagers assert they were promised payment at a rate of $2.50 Liberian Dollars per rubber tree owned by them, yet only partial payments have been made. Ken, like others, is still awaiting full compensation and claims he will not rest until the issue is resolved. As a resident of Beaseto, he insists on fair treatment from Senator Moye.
Senator Prince Moye, however, denies any wrongdoing, asserting that he legally purchased the land from the Miller Family with proper documentation from the Careysburg Probate Court. He claims to have fully paid for the rubber trees through a local intermediary, Samuel Kollie, who has since passed away.
The Senator says he is open to discussing any unpaid balances with villagers but denies accusations of pressuring them to leave or disregarding Liberia’s 25-foot buffer zone regulation.
Meanwhile, the irony is that a community that sold 600 acres of land faces numerous challenges, such as lack of infrastructure and clean water. Residents, some of whom feel exploited in what appears to be an elite land grab, report a shortage of clean water and lack of sanitation facilities. They rely on unsafe creek water for drinking and cooking, exposing them to health risks. Despite also leasing or selling land to political and business elites, the community of Beaseto faces serious challenges in moving goods and people due to poor road conditions.
The villagers’ struggle for justice speaks to wider land rights issues in Liberia, as enforcement of protective legislation appears inconsistent. Community leaders, dwellers, and land rights advocates are urging the government to intervene and uphold the Land Rights Act to protect local communities against such conflicts—especially when powerful figures are involved. At the September 2024 Second National Land Conference, delegates called on the Liberia Land Authority to expedite the issuance of deeds to customary communities.
While land advocates are pushing for stronger legal frameworks to support communities, mediation between Senator Moye and the affected villagers for fair compensation for the rubber trees could be a productive path forward.
This story was published as part of the Liberia Forest Media Watch effort to strengthen opportunities for rural female journalists to produce print and radio news stories on natural resource with support from the European Union through the French Development Agency.
