Tension is again mounting in Ganta, Nimba County as aggrieved marketers accuse local authorities of complacency for failing to remove floating vendors operating around Five4Five Market, near the Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI).
The marketers say informal selling points are diverting customers from the central market, undermining their businesses. They have renewed their threat to return to the former market ground, a 5.3-acre property declared eminent domain by the government in 2010, if authorities fail to address their concerns.
Their frustration follows an October 26, 2026, meeting with local authorities, during which Acting City Mayor Samuel Hardt reportedly promised to remove floating vendors around Five4Five Market by Friday, October 30. The deadline passed without action, deepening traders’ dissatisfaction.
The marketers say vendors operating from scattered locations are drawing customers away from established stalls. They claim this has left traders unable to sell their goods, suffering losses and accumulating unpaid debts.
Dorothy Morris, spokesperson for the aggrieved marketers, said floating vendors have affected traders who depend on the central market.
“We want the government to allow us to use this ‘eminent domain’ or the floating marketers around Five4Five Market be removed and all petty businesspeople and frozen foods sellers selling around the coal storages be compelled to return to one central market,” Morris said.
The traders want permission to use the former market property or the consolidation of informal vendors at one designated market.
When the Daily Observer visited Five4Five Market, normal trading activities continued, with vendors occupying their usual selling points. Some reportedly vowed not to leave, even if the government deployed the army to enforce their removal.
The Daily Observer could not obtain a response from Hardt. He did not answer telephone calls or text messages seeking an explanation for the missed deadline.
The lack of an official explanation has further frustrated marketers.
The city administration has not announced a revised timetable, while marketers have not withdrawn their threat to return to the site if their demands remain unaddressed.
The disagreement over floating vendors is linked to a longstanding controversy surrounding the 5.3-acre former market ground, declared eminent domain in 2010 during former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s administration.
More than a decade later, the government has yet to provide a definitive development plan for the property. The delay has generated frustration among residents, particularly some members of the Mano and Gio communities.
The controversy has intensified following the recent eviction from the former market site and reports of a court ruling granting portions of the disputed property to members of the Turay family. Allegations that portions have been surveyed in the family’s favor have further heightened concerns.
Some residents fear continued government inaction could result in the land being transferred to another family before the state clarifies its intentions. They argue that, if the government has no immediate development plans, marketers should be allowed to use the property temporarily. However, competing claims make any return contentious without clarification of the court proceedings and the government’s legal position.
Tensions became more visible on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when vendors reportedly returned to the former market site amid dissatisfaction over the government’s slow response.
On Monday, October 26, armed police officers were temporarily deployed to prevent possible encroachment. They later withdrew following a meeting involving local leaders and county authorities. Participants called for an urgent survey and resolution of competing claims.
The developments have placed local authorities under pressure to regulate market activities. County and national authorities must address traders’ immediate concerns while ensuring that any action involving the disputed property respects the law and due process.
For marketers, the immediate demand is for authorities to honor their commitment to remove or consolidate floating vendors and restore business at the central market. For the wider community, the dispute raises questions about the government’s handling of the 2010 eminent domain declaration.
Unless authorities provide clear answers and take credible action, dissatisfaction could deepen and increase the risk of further confrontation.
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