By Othello B. Garblah
Suspects of the December 18, 2024, arson attack on Capitol Building should be held accountable has been the cry of every peace-loving Liberian since the fire incident on Capitol Hill. The move will serve as a deterrent to those emboldened by impunity to stop their attacks on the nation’s fragile democracy, most Liberians angered by this display of irresponsible greed for power have said.
It appears this call to bring the fire suspects to book is gaining traction, and rightfully so. The arson attack clearly exposed the actual intention of people, including some lawmakers, who mobilized citizens to protest at the Capitol against the removal of embattled Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
Despite repeated advice from the international community, it is a shame that Liberians, especially those at the echelon of power who should know better, would conduct themselves in such a manner that even rebel soldiers who fought during the country’s three decades of the civil war did not-attacking national assets such as the Capitol Building.
Last week, authorities at the Liberia National Police confirmed widely held public perception that the fire outbreak at the Capitol Building, the seat of the Liberian Legislature, was an arson attack. “From the day that incident occurred and based on the expertise on the ground, we knew that the occurrence was consistent with that of arson,” Police Inspector General Col. Gregory Coleman said.
According to Col. Gregory Coleman, the confirmation was an outcome of a joint investigative effort of the LNP and officers of the Liberia National Fire Service with forensic experts from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Liberia National Petroleum Company (LPRC).
Although Col. Coleman revealed during the briefing that the government had invited foreign experts to investigate the evidence, he quickly added that the unnamed foreign experts would agree with their preliminary findings.
Late last year, fire gutted the Rotunda of the Capitol Building here early Wednesday morning, December 18. The Rotunda is the Joint Chambers of the Liberian Legislature. Until what has now been confirmed as an arson attack, it was being used by members of the majority bloc from the House of Representatives who had at the time refused to sit under the gavel of embattled House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa.
Weeks before the arson attack, unidentified individuals entered the same joint chamber and removed all chairs with no report of arrest. Other uncouth behaviors were displayed, such as throwing tear gas into the chambers while the majority of members held their session.
It was in the wake of these activities amidst the unresolved political turmoil between members of the majority bloc led by Representative Richard N. Koon on the one hand and a minority bloc headed by embattled Speaker Koffa that the fire incident occurred.
A day after the incident, Col. Coleman announced the arrest of 73 persons who were part of an Antti-government demonstration at the Capitol a day before the fire incident, and a dozen others considered persons of interest among them was Representative Frank Saah Foko.
A day before the fire incident, the Montserrado County District #9 Representative Foko had announced on Spoon Talk that he was reporting for work at the Capitol and would be accompanied by his people from the district.
Also among the arrested individuals were security officers who were present on duty the night of the arson. Some were immediately released based on the information provided.
In this case, the public expects nothing less than accountability at the highest level if the country and its people are to be taken seriously, regardless of political persuasions.
Liberia is a country of law, and as such, this should be demonstrated. The country cannot progress in an environment where uncouth individuals with state power continue to undermine the very democratic process that brought them to stardom in the first place.
No one is above the law, and this is why these suspects should be made to account for their actions against the Liberian people. If it is established that sitting lawmakers were behind this arson, they should be barred from holding public office for life.
