By Bill W. Cooper
President George Weah has cautioned Liberians to be their own security thus urging government officials and ordinary citizens to buy and install CCTV camera in their various homes for security protection.
Speaking during the signing of the book of condolence for the former Internal Audit Agency (IAA) boss, Emmanuel B. Nyeswa on Thursday, November 12, President Weah disclosed that though his government will endeavor to provide security at the borders or other entry points to avoid external threats but stated that while the government is ensuring safety at points of entry, it is time for each and every Liberian to be their brother’s keeper.
According to the Liberian leader, the too many mysterious deaths of several Liberians including key government officials of recent should serve as a wakeup call to the citizenry, indicating that officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) will not be everywhere to protect every Liberians and as such, Liberians should now begin to ensure that they be the first respondent in protecting their own lives.
He added, “I am worried about our citizens because we do not know what actually happens at night but we hope that our citizens will also take responsibility of their own lives, surroundings and what they are doing. Our own responsibility as a government is to ensure that we have the police and other security apparatus make sure that no one infiltrates our country and do acts that don’t make any sense.”
“We do not want to hold anybody responsible for what they do in their own life but I think everybody, should be their brother’s keeper because its important and it’s also time that every government officials and citizens try to have their own video camera in facilities to see who’s coming in and out because I believe it will be a good security protection,” President Weah cautioned.
Meanwhile, President Weah has also on behalf of his government and citizenry extended his heartfelt sympathy to the family of the late IAA boss who died recently at his residence on the Tubman Boulevard saying, “It is very sad to lose a friend and an employee who diligently served his country during his time in government and I am very pleased and happy to be around the family during this time of bereavement.”
However, following the statement of President Weah, many Liberians including political pundits had different views towards his statement which some said that he spoke in the right direction amidst the mysterious killings of recent, while others criticized him, terming his statement as rather unfortunate and frustrating.
Some political pundits further stated that President George Weah’s statement has also contradicted the social contract he signed with the Liberian people upon his ascendency to the Presidency thereby taking over from former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in 2018 aimed at protecting the lives and properties of all Liberians within the territorial borders of the country.
In a rather perplexed mood, a Liberian criminal lawyer and legal practitioner, Cllr. Arthur Johnson on the Truth FM “What’s Your View” night time program said that it is time that the President and his Information Ministry come and clarify this ambiguous statement as it is disappointing and embarrassing to the country’s highest seat (the presidency).
He stressed that the statement by the Liberian leader is dangerous to the peace and security of the nation and has the propensity to create a state of insecurity and therefore urged the Minister of Information, Ledgerhood Rennie to hastily interpret the President’s statement in order to avoid any unwarranted mob Justice and secret killings in the name of criminality.
“So I want to state that the clarification is now required because any statement the President makes becomes a policy statement, because whenever the President goes anywhere and makes a statement, it automatically becomes a policy statement, so when it is understood in the public by people in different context, there is tendency for people to be confused about it and at the end of the day, we find ourselves in a state of chaos which no one would claim responsibility for,” Cllr. Johnson averred.
It can be recalled that recently two former employees of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) identified as Gifty Lama and Albert Peters were both found dead in a car on Broad Street in Monrovia, and within few days, another senior LRA staff reportedly died in an unexplained car crash on the Tubman Boulevard Road.
Following the mysterious deaths of the three former LRA employees, the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) boss, Emmanuel B. Nyeswa mysteriously died in his compound on the Tubman Boulevard Road which brought the total number of deaths of key government officials from the Weah-led Administration to four within less than two weeks.