Published: January 15, 2025
KAKATA, Margibi – Police in Kakata, Margibi County have charged and sent to court three suspects, including 53-year-old man Joseph Dolo, with abuse of a corpse and theft of property. The gruesome crime allegedly took place on the night of January 6, 2025, at Dillon Farm on the outskirts of Kakata on the Bong Mines Highway.
The Liberia National Police Margibi Crimes Services record confirmed the arrest of Joseph Dolo and his alleged accomplices, James Flomo and Harrison Binda, on January 13, 2025, reportedly desecrated the grave of Sianneh Ndorbor, a woman who was recently buried stealing jewelry, shoes, clothing, and extracting the corpse’s private parts, allegedly for ritualistic purposes.
The case unraveled when complainant James Gondon, the deceased’s nephew, noticed the grave had been tampered with during a visit a recent visit when the casket was noticed to be open, with all valuables buried with the dead stolen.
“We sealed the grave quickly because of the odor, not knowing something more horrific had happened,” Gondon stated.
The police crime services investigation revealed that the grave robbers extracted the deceased’s vaginal tissue, allegedly for use in rituals. “The crime was exposed when an argument erupted among the suspects over the division of proceeds from the stolen items, leading to Dolo’s bag being searched, where the human part was discovered” The Police records quoted.
In his voluntary statement to the police, Joseph Dolo admitted to the crime but claimed he was lured into it by his co-accused James Flomo and Harrison Binda who convinced him that the grave contained valuables.
“Flomo retrieved the jewelry, shoes, and the corpse’s private part, saying he needed it for rituals to establish his poro bush school,” Dolo alleged.
However, Flomo and Binda have strongly denied the accusations. Flomo said, Dolo was falsely implicating them because they exposed him to the town chief that he had human private part in his bag.
Binda corroborated Flomo’s account, adding that Dolo had shown him the body part earlier, claiming it came to him in a dream. “He said he planned to use it for desperate things, which alarmed me. I informed others, leading to his exposure,” Binda stated.
The situation escalated when a confrontation among the suspects drew the attention of town chief Francis S. Massaquoi. According to Massaquoi’s testimony James Flomo and others insisted on searching Dolo’s bag after a heated argument, which led to the discovery of the human part.
The investigation established that the suspects jointly committed the crimes, though only Dolo admitted to the acts. The police recovered the stolen vaginal tissue, which has been identified as belonging to the deceased. The case has been forwarded to the 13th judicial circuit court court for prosecution under Liberia’s Penal Code, Sections 18.12 and 15.51.
Residents in Kakata have called for swift justice, emphasizing the need for local authorities to crack down on ritualistic and harmful traditional practices that undermine societal values.
Discussion about this post