By Our Reporter | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA – Liberia’s political tensions escalated sharply on Friday, July 17, as the STAND-organized “Boakai Must Lead or Leave” protest drew thousands of demonstrators to Capitol Hill, where they demanded accountability over the unresolved US$19 million cocaine trafficking scandal before police later accused protest leader Mulbah Morlu of possessing a stolen government-issued firearm.
The protest brought government operations and business activities around Capitol Hill and the Executive Mansion to a near standstill as demonstrators called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to address the nation over what they described as the government’s failure to provide satisfactory answers regarding the country’s largest reported cocaine seizure.
Addressing supporters, STAND Chairman Mulbah Morlu intensified pressure on the President, insisting that Boakai must personally explain how the drugs entered Liberia.
“If President Boakai doesn’t show up, we will strip naked. Tell us how the US$19 million worth of drugs entered,” Morlu declared before the crowd.
After several hours of demonstrations, Morlu announced the end of the protest and instructed participants to leave peacefully, while promising that the movement would continue pressing the government for accountability.
“The movement will continue, and we will keep pressing the government,” he told protesters.
Shortly after the protest concluded, the Liberia National Police (LNP) announced that it had launched a criminal investigation into the alleged theft of a government-issued service weapon belonging to a police officer who was reportedly assaulted while traveling to his assigned duty station before Friday’s demonstration.
Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman said investigators had confirmed that a firearm later displayed publicly was the same weapon allegedly stolen from the officer. He further alleged that the weapon is currently in the possession of STAND Chairman Mulbah Morlu.
Coleman called on Morlu to immediately surrender the firearm and cooperate with investigators, warning that failure to do so could result in criminal charges related to the alleged unlawful possession of the government-issued weapon and the reported assault on the police officer.
The Inspector General also appealed to members of the public to submit videos, photographs, and any other evidence that could help investigators identify those responsible for the attack on the officer and facilitate the recovery of the missing firearm.
The police allegations came just one day after the July 17 Protest Coalition accused the Boakai administration of conducting what it described as a deliberate campaign of misinformation aimed at undermining the planned demonstration.
In a statement issued Thursday, the coalition rejected Information Minister Jerolinmek Piah’s allegation that protesters intended to use petrol bombs, describing the claim as “baseless,” “reckless,” and part of a broader effort to criminalize peaceful demonstrators.
The coalition also dismissed earlier assertions by Inspector General Coleman that organizers were distributing illegal firearms, insisting that no organizer had encouraged violence or the use of weapons.
According to the coalition, Friday’s protest was organized solely to demand accountability and a credible investigation into the alleged US$19 million cocaine trafficking case, in which organizers claim senior government officials are suspected of involvement or protection.
The coalition further argued that repeated allegations from senior government officials appeared designed to create a justification for a forceful response against peaceful protesters.
Despite those concerns, organizers maintained that demonstrators remained unarmed, disciplined, and committed to a peaceful march.
Friday’s demonstration underscores the growing political pressure confronting the Boakai administration over its handling of the high-profile drug trafficking case. At the same time, the police investigation into the alleged stolen firearm has opened a new front in the standoff between STAND and state security authorities, setting the stage for what could become a significant legal and political confrontation in the days ahead.
As of Friday evening, no formal criminal charges had been announced against Morlu, and STAND had not publicly responded to the police allegation that he was in possession of the missing service weapon.
