Campaigned on Lies: LNP IG Coleman Exonerates Past Government Officials
THE LIBERIA NATIONAL POLICE under President Boakai’s administration held a major press conference today July 23, 2024 that exonerates major actors of the past administration including former President George M. Weah and former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee.
IT CAN BE RECALLED that the Boakai opposition prior to taking power used wide range of allegations in campaign propaganda both at home and abroad to the extent that some of those allegations lead to the U.S. government through its Department of State and Treasury placing some prominent officials of the Weah administration on sanction – former Mayor Koijee is victim of those diabolical lies.
THE FIRST DIABOLICAL LIE can be referenced to a sad event that occurred on October 17, 2020, when Robert M. Blamo, Jr, 29, Siafa Gbana Boimah, 34, and Bobby S. Gbeanquoi, 32, were reported drowned in a river in Fuama district, lower Bong County when a canoe they were allegedly riding capsized while returning to their respective homes. They were reportedly contracted to do a “piece of job” at the Oriental mining company owned and operated by Mr. Moses H. Ahossouhe (Proprietor of St. Moses Funeral Parlour), and one Mr. Abraham S. Samuels.
IT WAS REPORTED by Mr. Ahoussouhe that the three young men drowned, a statement that was confirmed by the Boakai administration LNP press conference today. Before today, opposition politicians claimed that former President Weah colluded with St. Moses to murder the deceased to extract body parts from them, but IG Gregory Coleman rejected those claims as his team of investigators could not establish any foul play linked to the death of one of the victims Boimah, confirming that he died from drowning. The LNP also noted that the two other alleged victims, believed to have drowned, are yet to be found and cannot be declared dead as the statutory code requires seven years before declaring a missing person dead.
THE SECOND DIABOLICAL LIE was that former government officials were, especially the former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee was linked to importation of firearms into the country for subversive political activities, especially to target opposition politicians and to rag elections by installing fears into civilians. Opposition politicians also claimed that Mayor Koijee was raising a militia of young partisans of the Collation of Democratic Change (CDC), something which was reflected in the U.S. sanction designation against Mayor Koijee.
IN RESPONSE TO THESE ALLEGATIONS, former Mayor Koijee strongly reacted claims of the opposition propagandist Stanton Witherspoon and other co-hosts of the Spoon Talk, an online television talk show. At the time, panelists led by Mr. Stanton Witherspoon argued links of the Mayor to the importation of a huge cache of arms including machine guns from Israel through the Freeport of Monrovia. In a press conference held May 8, 2024, former Mayor Koijee argued that Stanton Witherspoon, Eugene Fahgon and others had waged war to bring a sitting government down. He also further that it is so sad that “criminals like Witherspoon who killed American citizens by issuing and selling fake credentials will use the microphone to heap allegations typical of gunrunning on my hard earned character”.
WITH THESE SHOCKING CONCLUSIONS what was questionable cold cases on such damaging campaign propaganda from the opposition politicians that brought President Boakai to power, and lies that severely misled the U.S. government and grossly hurt citizens of Liberia, now leaves political pundits and commentators looking to see how these exonerating revelations from the Boakai administration’s Inspector General Coleman on what will be the impact of the damage already done by these diabolical lies, especially in light of the future of the former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee.
Dr. Clarence R. Pearson, Sr. is a Liberian clergy and social scientist with strong interest in advancing global peace, human rights, a safe planet, and social equity. He holds a BA in Theology, and MA with distinction from the Kofi Annan Institute for Conflict Transformation, University of Liberia. He also graduated with honor from the Louisiana Baptist University and Seminary, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA with A PhD in Psychology and Counseling. Dr. Pearson is a social researcher, an educator, and an author. He has over 29 years of practical professional experience in post-conflict peace-building, recovery, and development with emphasis in both the public and private sector.