Monrovia — The Liberia National Police (LNP) on Monday deployed riot police throughout Monrovia in response to a series of planned protests across the city. Monrovia, the Liberian capital, hosts about a million people.
In recent days, there have been reports of planned protests by various groups, including aggrieved former agents of the Executive Protection Service, the elite presidential guard that provides security to VIPs, including the President and Vice President.
At the national headquarters of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), tensions flared between anti-riot police and party members. The CDC partisans were angered by the police deployment outside their headquarters, viewing it as a form of intimidation. Some members were caught on live video using invectives against President Boakai.
'Invoking bad memory'
The act of the Liberia National Police (LNP) deploying riot police at the headquarters of the CDC invoked the "bad memory of the infamous November 7, 2011 where partisans of CDC were wounded and killed," the party's secretary general Jefferson Tamba Koijee said.
On late Sunday evening, Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman announced that Liberia was on the verge of experiencing a series of demonstrations in various parts of the country.
He did not specify the groups organizing the protests or their reasons, but emphasized that a police force would be prepared to protect both the protesters and the public.
"There are a series of planned protests in different areas. Our role is to protect the protesters and the Liberian people. The peace we have today was earned by the sweat and blood of many Liberians, and preserving it is paramount to us. We will not allow it to be disrupted in any way, shape, or form. Order and dignity will be restored in this nation," said Inspector General Coleman on Sunday evening.
Coleman added: "We have been reliably informed that among some of those who are planning to peacefully protest, there are people with nefarious intent wanting to destabilize the peace and we have sufficient information about the possibility that some of them are having lethal weapons. So, we are warning the public to please try to avoid these gatherings when you see them, the police will provide the needed protection."
"As I speak to you, there is an ongoing review of the use of force policy as to how we can properly manage the situation if it is beyond being peaceful. We are calling on the organizers of the protest on what is at stake here. The bridge of peace will not be tolerated," the Police IG Coleman said on Sunday evening at the Headquarters of the LNP.
On Monday, the LNP deployed riot police a stone's throw away from the Headquarters of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) in anticipation of a series of planned protests across Monrovia. The police did not give any reason for their deployment at the headquarters of the main opposition political party.
However, the deployment of the national police near the national headquarters of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change sparked up tensions between anti-riot police and party members.
At one end, officers were ordered to patrol around the CDC Headquarters. CDC partisans were angered by the police action of deploying armed men outside their headquarters, viewing it as a form of intimidation.
Some CDC members were caught on live video using invectives against President Boakai and the police.
Some partisans confronted the police outside the party headquarters. Partisans for some minutes blocked one side of the Tubman Boulevard Road, the side leading toward Paynesville City.
The acting party, Chairman Janga Kowo, was at the party headquarters. He was able to talk to supporters to put things under control before the arrival of Koijee.
After some time, Koijee spoke with journalists, expressing his outburst against the police's action adding that the action from the police reminds him and every other partisan about the infamous November 7, 2011.
"Today, our party headquarters was besieged by Mr. Boakai and his police forces. We witnessed the invasion of the police on the premises of the Congress for Democratic Change. I can remember on 2011, November 7, on Bloody Monday, it gives us a sharp reminder and every CDCian will know when the police were in similar form, similar attire, similar position and it led to the death of scores of Liberians," Koijee said.
He added: "This is not what the Liberian people signed up for. Stop what you are doing. We want to say to you that today, you should be very grateful to Pioneer Pastor Philemon Tarpeh. We will not assure you the latitude and the opportunity you had here again. This party Headquarter moving forward no police will be armed in the form and manner will come the way you came here today. We will not permit you nor will we tolerate you."
According to Koijee, the former President was at the verge of coming to the party headquarters to carry on his daily work, but he had to go back home because of the heavy deployment of police officers near the party headquarters.
"Mr. Boakai needs to know that the life of Mr. Weah is placed on the head of this President. These are the subsequent attacks on the life of Mr. Weah. When he (Weah) returned to the country, you took the army, and you deployed them at the international airport. Today, Mr. Weah is on his way to his office, at the party Headquarter and you deployed huge armed men," he said.
Koijee added: "We have invested in the peace and democracy of this country, stop creating panic, the CDC at no time had declared any protest action while it is true that the CDC is aware of the careless, reckless approach that is being seen in governance."
Dismissed EPS Agents Denying planning Protest
Over the weekend, it was reported that agents of the Executive Protection Service (EPS), who were dismissed immediately when the Joseph Nyuma Boakai administration came to power were expected to protest on Monday under the caption "Kill one, Kill All".
Nathaniel O. Beh Jr., the spokesman of the dismissed Executive Protect Service agents, said the speculation about the dismissed EPS agent staging protest under the theme "kill one, kill all" is false and misleading.
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"We did not give a specific date that we will be going for the protest. I don't call it a protest because we are elite forces, we belong to no party, we are state security, all we want is our just benefit," Beh said.
He added: "We make it clear that we will be going to our director's office, we are dealing with Sam Gaye, so we will be going to his office anytime on a working day so that he can decide, he can have two stones to throw on that day. Either he pays us off or kills us all, that was the message, not kill one, kill all, the day was not specified."
"The Justice Minister called us, and we went there this morning and we sat with him to have a dialogue. We explained our situation, we showed him some proof and he told us that he will look into the matter and that he will inform the Senator who is the Chair on National Security and Defense Honorable Momo Cyrus, and they were going to look into the matter."
"The question was asked about when he will look into the matter because it was so discouraging that it has been long for him to tell us that he is just getting to know. We are security people, we are waiting, we will exercise restraint, but as a result we know the time, we will not expose the time to the public, we are security people, we are afraid of no threat, and we are absolutely no threat to anybody. We want the right thing to be done and let the wrong be corrected," he ended.
