Monrovia, August 12, 2026: Senator Amara Konneh has welcomed the nomination of retired Major General Daniel Dee Ziankahn Jr. as Director General of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), but says a change in leadership must be accompanied by transparency and accountability in ongoing narcotics investigations.
Senator Konneh said Ziankahn’s extensive background in national security and military leadership gives him a strong operational record to lead an agency that urgently needs stability and direction.
However, he cautioned that replacing the leadership of the LDEA alone would not address what he described as deeper problems within Liberia’s security system.
“The public demands an open, credible, and independent inquiry into all high-ranking individuals linked to the narcotics web,” Konneh said.
According to the senator, fixing the LDEA requires addressing alleged complicity at every level rather than simply replacing its leadership amid ongoing investigations into Liberia’s record cocaine seizures.
He stressed that the appointment of a new director, regardless of the nominee’s credentials or record of public service, should not overshadow ongoing high-profile drug investigations involving senior security and law enforcement officials.
Konneh said the government must ensure that investigations are conducted independently and transparently and that anyone found culpable is held accountable, irrespective of position or status.
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai nominated retired Major General Ziankahn late Monday to head the LDEA, subject to confirmation by the Liberian Senate.
Ziankahn is a former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Liberia and later served as Minister of National Defense under former President George M. Weah. He previously held senior military leadership positions during the administration of former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
His nomination marks the fourth leadership change at the LDEA since President Boakai took office in 2024, reflecting continuing instability at the country’s principal anti-narcotics agency.
The latest change comes amid heightened scrutiny of Liberia’s security institutions following major cocaine seizures and ongoing investigations into allegations that some government and security officials may have been connected to narcotics trafficking.
