The arrests followed a complaint filed by James Gondon, who reported that the suspects had broken into his deceased aunt’s grave on January 6, 2025.
Margibi County— Three men—Joseph Dolo, James Flomo, and Harrison Binda—have been arrested and charged with grave robbery and theft of property following a shocking incident involving the desecration of the grave of the late Sianneh Ndorbor in Dillon’s Farm Community, Margibi County.
By: Yawah Y. Jaivey, [email protected]
Officers at the Margibi County Detachment of the Liberia National Police (LNP) have formally charged the suspects with abuse of a corpse and theft of property under Chapter 18, Section 18.12, and Chapter 15, Subchapter D, Section 15.51 of the revised Penal Code of Liberia.
The suspects were forwarded to the Kakata Magisterial Court on Tuesday for prosecution.
The arrests followed a complaint filed by James Gondon, who reported that the suspects had broken into his deceased aunt’s grave on January 6, 2025.
Gondon informed the police that he received a call on January 12 stating that the suspects had been apprehended while in possession of a female genital, which they claimed to have extracted from the deceased.
According to Gondon, he visited the grave on January 7, only days after Sianneh Ndorbor was buried on January 3, and discovered that it had been broken into. He noted that various items, including jewelry, clothing, and shoes, were missing. An unpleasant odor from the site prompted him to hastily seal the grave, unaware of the full extent of the desecration.
During the police investigation, suspect Joseph Dolo admitted his involvement, claiming that he, along with Flomo and Binda, had been lured into the act.
Dolo revealed that they used metal rods to break into the grave and removed items for alleged ritual purposes associated with establishing a poro society. He said tensions escalated within the group when he was denied a share of the stolen items, leading to a confrontation that resulted in his being discovered with the extracted remains by community members.
However, suspects Flomo and Binda have denied any involvement, asserting that Dolo was attempting to incriminate them. Flomo claimed he learned of Dolo’s possession of the extracted remains from Binda, while Binda accused Dolo of fabricating accusations to shift blame.
For his part, the Town Chief of Dillon’s Farm, Francis S. Massaquoi, confirmed being informed about the incident and pointed out inconsistencies in Dolo’s statements during the investigation.
Meanwhile, Police authorities in Margibi County have stated that evidence supports the charges of abuse of a corpse and theft. The accused have been forwarded to court for prosecution as the investigation into this disturbing case continues.
