Monrovia-Liberians are terrified as they painstakingly grapple with ongoing developments days after the nation was celebrated for the historic election to the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member.
It is believed last weekend’s developments and many previous situations have left citizens terrified and cowered into a state of ‘turmoil.’
Liberians at the weekend witnessed the arrest and indictment of five members of the House of Representatives and the subsequent of humiliation of of Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Chairman, Atty. Jangar Kowo.
Saturday’s flare–up of tension followed Monrovia City Court’s decision to send former House Speaker Cllr. J. Fornati Koffa, Representatives Dixon Seboe, Abu Kamara, Jacob Debee and others to prison at the Monrovia Central Prison after they had spent a night at the National Police Headquarters.
The lawmakers had been charged with crimes ranging from arson, criminal facilitation, conspiracy, attempted murder amongst others on account of their alleged involvements in the arson attack on the Capitol Building on December 18, 2024.
The nation last Friday was gripped by trepidation in light of the meeting requested with the lawmakers by the LNP, with many sensing the situation would have degenerated into what it is.
Supporters of the CDC rallied to the clarion call of their leaders, showing up in their numbers at the LNP headquarters in a show of solidarity with their troubled lawmakers.
Though tense, the day passed with ease until Saturday when things turned rancorous and topsy-turvy as police officers tried to disburse a group of citizens who protested against taking the lawmakers to prison.
Video footages showed police officers chasing, beating and attempting to arrest those they saw as threats to the incarceration of the former Speaker and his fellow lawmakers at the Central Prison.
CDC Chairman Kowo who was also seen trying to stop men believed to be supporters of the CDC trying to obstruct the police operations, fell prey to assault and humiliation.
Baton-brandishing officers handled and bundled the CDC big man into a parked pickup, while other on-rushing officers thrashed him with their batons.
His arrest and detention was condemned by Liberians and other advocacy groupings, who called for his immediate and unconditional release.
In a press statement, Voices from Exile (VEx) condemned the manhandling of the CDC Chairman, while reechoing its previous position for justice and accountability pertinent to the alleged arson attack on the Capitol Building.
VEx said it is of the belief that any alleged culprit(s) found guilty through a Court of competent jurisdiction should fully account within the ambit of the law for such an attack on the seat of our democracy.
They acknowledged the government’s decision to pursue all alleged culprits in line with the law, citing police Inspector General Gregory Coleman announcing charges, including arson and attempted murder, against former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and four other Lawmakers.
“We call on the government through the Ministry of Justice to accord the former Speaker and all those accused due process. The principles of fairness, justice, and speedy trial must be applied to everyone that has been accused and charged so far. The accused persons in question remain innocent until their guilt can be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a Court of competent jurisdiction,” VEx statement read.
It also cautioned opposition political parties and politicians to refrain from every act of turning a legal matter into politics, adding that “Any attempt aimed at politicizing this case is a recipe for public disorder and an evasion of justice and accountability.”
In the same vain, VEx condemned the police for the brutal handling of the National Chairman of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change, Atty. Janga Kowo. Even while Atty. Kowo lifted his hands up, the force used by the police was excessive. This is unacceptable and the police should desist.
“While we encourage State Security to enforce law, order, and public safety throughout Liberia, we caution them to refrain from using lethal force against aggrieved citizens and unarmed protesters. It is the right of all Liberians, including opposition political parties and politicians, to protest in a peaceful manner. We call on the Government of President Joseph Boakai to protect this right at all times. Attempting to crack down on it is a strategic mistake that tends to incentivize anti-democratic precedents,” it said under the signature of Martin K, N. Kollie.
The advocacy group admonished all Liberians, including aggrieved citizens and opposition partisans/politicians to exercise their rights, including rights to free speech, to assemble and protest, but in a peaceful manner.
“Beyond political differences and dissents, we are all Liberians, and we must do nothing to undermine the peace, stability, security, and prosperity of our nation,” it said.
However, the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) has called on its members and allied opposition parties to assemble in mass at the Monrovia City Court on Monday in solidarity with former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa and three other lawmakers who are currently detained at the Monrovia Central Prison.
Koffa and others are expected to appear in court today to formally be charged and abreast of their rights.
Chairman Atty. Jangar Kowo, minutes after his release from detention, condemned the Unity Party-led government, accusing it of political persecution and labeling the detained lawmakers as “political prisoners.”
“The Unity Party government has crossed a dangerous red line by unlawfully incarcerating opposition lawmakers who voluntarily presented themselves at the police headquarters for questioning,” Kowo said.
“Last night, our political leaders issued a strong statement condemning the arrest of former Speaker Koffa and the three lawmakers,” Kowotold partisans. “Today, when we went to the Monrovia Central Prison in solidarity, the police manhandled me. I am wounded in several places as I speak to you now.”
Kowo alleged that the charges and detention of the lawmakers are part of a broader political conspiracy orchestrated by the ruling Unity Party.
“Even after coercing the Speaker to resign, after illegally holding onto the speakership for eight months, and after vandalizing the Speaker’s office, the Unity Party government of President Boakai is now inviting chaos into the country,” he said.
He emphasized that the CDC’s silence since its electoral defeat in 2023 should not be mistaken for weakness.
“We conceded the election peacefully with a margin of just 17,000 votes. That tells you the CDC is a party of the rule of law. No amount of propaganda can paint us negatively. But the government has now crossed a dangerous red line.”
Kowo warned President Joseph Boakai and his administration that Liberia’s peace and stability are not sustained by the weapons carried by police or the army, but by the civility of its people.
“We have reached a point where the people must take their destiny into their own hands. On Monday, we are calling on all CDCians and members of the opposition community to join us as we march to the Monrovia City Court in solidarity with Speaker Koffa, Dixon Seboe, Abu Kamara, and Jacob Debee,” he said.
He said “The safety of Speaker Koffa and the three lawmakers is now your responsibility. We demand their immediate and unconditional release.”
