By: Julius Konton

As hundreds of residents displaced by the controversial demolition exercise in Sinkor struggle with homelessness amid a fragile national economy, the legitimacy, morality, and timing of the court-backed eviction have become the subject of intense national debate, drawing sharp reactions across Liberia’s legal, political, and civil society circles.

The demolition centered on 4th and 5th Streets in Sinkor, one of Monrovia’s oldest residential neighborhoods has left families sleeping in the open, personal belongings scattered across streets, and an already strained urban population grappling with survival.

For many victims, the eviction was not only sudden but devastatingly final.

Human Impact Amid Economic Hardship

Liberia’s economy, still recovering from years of conflict, the Ebola crisis, and COVID-19, offers little cushion for displaced urban families.

According to World Bank data, more than 50 percent of Liberians live below the poverty line, while urban housing shortages continue to worsen due to rapid population growth and weak land governance.

For residents of Sinkor, many of whom say they lived in the community for three to five decades, the demolition represents not merely the loss of shelter but the erasure of life-long investments.

“We raised our children here. We buried our parents here. Now we have nowhere to go,” one displaced resident said, standing beside the rubble of what was once his home.

Victims insist that no prior notice, compensation, or relocation plan was provided, an allegation that has intensified criticism of both the judiciary and law enforcement agencies involved.

A Court Order Under Scrutiny

At the center of the controversy is a court order that allegedly authorized the demolition.

While authorities maintain the action was lawful, residents describe the enforcement as abrupt, excessive, and procedurally flawed.

Witnesses claim officers of the Police Support Unit (PSU) and court sheriffs told residents they had “direct orders to demolish,” even as homeowners pleaded for time to retrieve personal belongings.

Legal analysts argue that even when eviction is lawful, international human rights standards endorsed by Liberia require adequate notice, due process, and humane enforcement, especially when large populations are affected.

Political Intervention and Moral Condemnation

The demolition has spilled into Liberia’s political arena.

Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current Grand Kru County lawmaker J. Fonati Koffa weighed in forcefully, condemning the action as morally indefensible.

“It is mean-spirited to demolish people’s homes without a relocation plan, whether or not they are squatters,” Koffa wrote on his official social media page.

Invoking Christian ethics, Koffa referenced scripture, warning that society will ultimately be judged by how it treats its most vulnerable.

His remarks have amplified public outrage and reignited broader questions about whether Liberia’s justice system disproportionately impacts the poor while shielding the powerful.

A Land Dispute Rooted in History

The legal battle traces back decades and involves two prominent families, the Johnson and Bishop families said to be distantly related.

Reports indicate that both families, at different times, sold portions of the same land, creating overlapping claims that were never conclusively resolved.

Residents allege that Eric Nagbe, the individual who enforced the court ruling, claims ownership based on a 2011 purchase from the late Jessie Pine, who once acted as an administrator or spokesperson for the Johnson family during earlier litigation.

However, evicted homeowners contest the validity of that transaction.

“Pine was not the owner.

He was an administrator,” one resident explained. “You cannot sell what you do not own.”

According to residents, documented property purchases by occupants date back to 1997–1998, while some families say they have occupied the land since the 1970s, raising serious questions about adverse possession, long-term occupancy rights, and statutory limitations.

Legal Gray Areas and Unanswered Questions

Legal experts note that under Liberian property law, administrators or spokespersons generally lack authority to permanently alienate family land without express consent.

If Pine indeed lacked ownership rights, any subsequent sale could be legally void potentially undermining the very foundation of the court ruling.

The situation is further complicated by claims that Nagbe issued eviction notices two years ago, which some residents acknowledged receiving.

Yet, they insist those notices never suggested an imminent demolition, leading many to believe the matter would be resolved through dialogue or further legal review.

A Pattern Beyond Sinkor

The Sinkor demolitions are not an isolated incident.

Across Monrovia and other urban centers, weak land documentation, overlapping claims, and slow judicial processes have fueled recurring evictions, often enforced through force rather than mediation.

Civil society groups warn that such actions risk deepening public distrust in state institutions, particularly when enforcement appears selective or insensitive to humanitarian consequences.

Justice Versus Humanity

As Liberia positions itself as a democracy anchored in the rule of law, the Sinkor demolition has exposed a troubling paradox:

Can justice be considered just when it produces mass homelessness without remedy?

For now, the rubble in Sinkor stands as a stark symbol not only of a land dispute gone wrong, but of a broader national failure to reconcile law, history, and humanity.

As debates rage on in courtrooms, churches, and political corridors, displaced families remain where they began this ordeal: homeless, unheard, and waiting for justice, or at least compassion.