‘Chris Toe Threatened To Kill Me For My Land’; Owner Denies Knowing Ex Minister

Written by Nat Nyuan Bayjay
Monrovia -
Source: FrontPage Africa

Ida Morgan

“Because of my own land, Chris Toe has threatened my life”, says Kadi Porte, owner of disputed land located in Oldest Congotown, she says she purchased in 2003. Frightened and frustrated, the landowner says Toe has for the past years been falsely claiming ownership of her land she rightfully bought which has now taken a different trend amid allegations of death threats from the former Minister.
Porte says she bought the one and a half lot of land situated in the Oldest Congo Town area. Repeated efforts to get Toe’s side of the story have been unsuccessful.
The one and a half lot of land forms part of a 10-acre of land that is owned by Ida Morgan, an heir to the property handed over to her by her late great grandfather named Lewis Minor, a former army personnel.
Former Agriculture Minister J. Chris Toe.
Porte, who claims to have received death threats from Toe, for her part stated that the former Minister has not been appearing in court despite repeated attempts to take the matter before the law for settlement.

Minister J. Chris Toe

Says Porte: “He never appears in court, neither does he produce a deed. Throughout all this land claim he continues to make, he hardly appears in court.”

She explained that the former Minister re-ignited the case once he was appointed by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as Agriculture Minister.
“That was when he brought up the issue again. He even told me at the time that he had told the President about the land and that if I don’t forget about it, I will find myself dead”, she alleged.
She continued that the former Agriculture Minister then resurfaced on the land and issued another death threat.
“Recently, he went on my land again, promising to destroy my foundation, rack my warehouse down and that nothing will come out of it. In fact, he promised to bring people from his farm to do the damage and my watch man can attest to this”, she explained.
Porte says she has since reported the case to the police but acknowledges that she does not think taking the case to court again will mean anything to the former minister because of his reportedly continued refusal to appear in court.
“He just met me again at a restaurant, threatening to kill me if I don’t leave the land”, she concluded.
Ida Morgan, Landlord of the property in dispute, says she doesn't even know the former Minister:“I don’t know why he (Chris Toe) keeps pricking for this one property. The land is for Kadi. She rightfully bought that land from me. I’m too sorry that I’m sick, else...."
Ma Ida, confined to a sick bed at her residence, explained that she had intervened in the matter that she thought would stop the former Minister from “constantly harassing the poor woman”.
Ma Ida said: “That is our property. We were at the Justice Ministry the other time and the people there told us to not worry, that there is no case that Chris Toe has. Why does he keep pricking himself over this property?”
The 65-years old woman explained that the land is a traditional gift handed over to her by her late great grandfather who got the land as a gift from the late President Daniel B. Warner.
“The land in question belongs to my great grandfather who got that land in 1866, when I was nowhere in this world. My mother herself was nowhere in this world. President Warner at the time gave it to him for his service in the army. His name was Louis Minor. President Barclay gave that land to him as a price to him as you yourself can see on that document before you. That is why I’ve been keeping it since my people passed it on to me”.
Written on an 1866 deed and signed by President Barclay with a copy in FPA’s possession, the deed reads: “That I Daniel B. Warner, President of the Republic of Liberia, of the one part and Lewis Minor of the County of Montserrado and Republic of Liberia for the other part……”
Laminated, the ancient document which is being kept by Ida, continued: “Having made lawful improvement….. assigned him ten acres of land, I the said Daniel B. Warner for myself and my successors in office have granted and confirmed and by these presents do give, grant and confirm unto the said Lewis Minor, his heirs, executors……….”
“The only thing is that I’m too sorry that I’m sick; otherwise, I would have taken up issues with that man. The rest of the people who see on that land, it was my mother who sold their pieces to them. You can go from door to door and ask everybody on that land”.
Continuing, she said: “My mother was called Sue Minor. She sold it to most of the people that are there now; Anthony Gaye, Lavala Superwood, Joseph Coromia and the rest of the people you see on that land now. If you ask them who sold the pieces of land that they now have, they will tell you it was either Sue Minor or Ida Morgan.”
When asked as to whether the former Agriculture Minister was among those to whom her late mother or herself might have sold a portion of the land to, she responded: “Never! If you even stand Chris Toe right now, I will not recognize him. I don’t know who is called Chris Toe. So, I have no fear.”
She explained that it was one Susannah Brown, now deceased, who fraudulently sold the portion of the land to Toe.
“It was one Susannah Brown who jumped from way Paynesville to sell our land to him. I was in the States with my children at the time. But she herself is dead now. I don’t know when and how Chris Toe got his own but my great grandfather died in 1962.”
On whether Toe did show or exhibit any document to support his claim, Ma Ida responded in the negative.
She further explained that the case was taken to the Justice Ministry in the past in which she claimed that Toe presented a false document.
“Counselor TC Gould threw the case out. In fact, he (Toe) didn’t show up. Gould told us that Toe had no case because I have the original deed, the mother deed”, she continued.
Like Porte, Ida Morgan further explained that the case had been taken to the Justice Ministry in the past in which she claimed that Toe presented a false document.