Tension has mounted in Gbedin, Nimba County between some farmers and an individual, who claimed ownership to the land.
The incident followed the arrest of three persons reportedly in a land dispute. The dispute is between local farmers, and the Chief Executive Officer of Gbedin Agro Business Incorporated, Samuel S. Brown.
The farmers accused Brown of wantonly destroying their crops, and the subsequent used of police officers to intimidate them.
They also alleged that police fired gunshots, and assaulted some of the farmers during the October 8 incident that left residents fled in all directions.
Brown denied the allegation, but claimed that the officers acted after some individuals resisted the presence of them on the disputed land.
He said, the arrests followed the individuals’ resistance, and accused them of repeatedly burning charcoal on his rice farm; damaging his crops.
Meanwhile, some of the farmers have accused county agriculture officials of supporting the destruction of their crops.
The County Agriculture Coordinator, Jefferson Degon, is yet to officially comment on the incident.
