Monrovia – As families across Liberia gathered at cemeteries to honor their departed loved ones on National Decoration Day, memories of one of the country’s darkest political chapters resurfaced for relatives of officials executed following the 1980 coup.
At the April 22nd Memorial Park, Madam Efrieda Stewart Tamba, daughter of the late Frank James Stewart, reflected on the painful memories that continue to haunt her family more than four decades later.
Frank Stewart served as Director of Budget from 1972 until 1980 under the administration of William R. Tolbert Jr. before he and several senior government officials were executed by firing squad on April 22, 1980—ten days after the military coup that toppled Tolbert’s government.
Now, 46 years later, Madam Tamba says the pain remains.
“We are still hurt because we lost our people who we cannot replace,” she said. “The country has not found their replacement. We continue to feel sad, and we are still hurt because we have not found the remains of those people. We will continue to remain hurt, and that is why we consider it our duty to remember them.”
Families Still Searching for Remains
The April 22nd Group comprises families of officials executed by firing squad on April 22, 1980, following the coup carried out by soldiers of the Armed Forces of Liberia.
For years, families believed the remains of their relatives—including that of President Tolbert—were buried in a mass grave at Palm Grove Cemetery.
However, when relatives attempted to locate the burial site 45 years later, no remains were found.
Despite that painful setback, the Government of Liberia under Joseph Nyuma Boakai, in 2025, dedicated a memorial park at the Liberia Baptist Theological Seminary in Paynesville, providing families with a dignified space to remember their loved ones.
The new memorial park offers a cleaner and more peaceful environment where relatives can gather to reflect and honor the legacies of those executed.
While welcoming the new site, families say their mission to locate the remains of their loved ones continues.
A More Dignified Place of Remembrance
Madam Tamba, who previously served as Deputy Minister of Budget and Revenue and later as Commissioner General of the Liberia Revenue Authority, described the relocation of the remembrance site as a significant step forward.
“I mean, it is certainly better for this site than Center Street. It’s good that this was built and that we transitioned from Center Street to here,” she said. “Now we can come and relax here. We don’t have zogos all over us. We don’t have filth surrounding us like the previous remembrance site.”
She added that relocating the memorial site was one of the key goals of the families.
“It is a relief that we were able to accomplish our goal—to remove our families from over there at Center Street to this location,” she said. “We have other goals, and by the grace of God those goals will also be accomplished in the years ahead.”
Remembering Other Fallen Officials
The memorial ceremony also honored other senior officials executed during the period, including Joseph J. F. Chesson Sr., who served as Liberia’s Minister of Justice from 1979 to 1980.
During the ceremony, relatives gathered to offer prayers and reflections on the lives and service of the fallen officials.
Madam Veily Chesson Porte, daughter of the late Joseph Chesson, expressed gratitude for her father’s dedication to both family and country.
“To come here in remembrance of our father means a lot,” she said. “He meant a lot to our family and to the nation at large. It is definitely a sad time; nevertheless, he was who he was.”
For many of the families, the annual remembrance remains both a solemn tribute and a reminder that the wounds of the past have yet to fully heal.
