By Prince D. Copeland (River Gee County)
Authorities in River Gee County have confirmed the death of a 15-year-old Ivorian boy who recently entered Liberia to work on a cocoa farm. The victim, identified as Deppuh Kobera, was found beheaded with gunshot wounds to the head in a forest near Glorra District.
According to the River Gee Police Detachment, Kobera had gone missing last Wednesday while farming in the Kwawe Gee Forest. His body was discovered three days later in a nearby area, prompting a homicide investigation. A 15-member coroner’s jury concluded that foul play was involved.
“The investigation is intensifying to determine who is responsible for this killing, how the victim entered Liberia, who hosted him, and where he was residing,” said Theophilus Togba, Assistant Police Commander for River Gee. “It’s a tragic and deeply troubling situation—someone crossed the border seeking work and lost his life here.”
No arrests have been made in connection with the killing, though police say inquiries are ongoing. Togba noted that investigators have begun interviewing residents in the area and are following leads but declined to provide a timeline for when findings would be made public.
Kobera’s death marks the fourth violent incident in the region linked to tensions surrounding cocoa farming and land disputes. Just last month, three Liberian men—Eric Nyenpan, Sabastine Saylee, and Aaron Teah, all of the Kiteabo and Glarro subtribes—were killed in a separate dispute. More than 20 suspects were arrested and are currently awaiting trial at Fish Town Central Prison.
The region has seen a surge in cross-border migration, particularly from Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire, as foreign nationals seek fertile land for cocoa cultivation. According to immigration officials, over 55,000 Burkinabés have entered Liberia, with more than 4,000 settling in River Gee County alone—often with support from local hosts.
