By Solomon T. Gaye
/Nimba
The coordinator of the ECOWAS Brown Card office in Nimba, says Liberia the alleged collection of ‘gate drop’ and the lack of cordial working conditions among Joint security members assigned at the Immigration checkpoint on the Monrovia highway is hampering the smooth running of the office.
A ‘Gate drop’ is a practice of extortion of money from commuters or vehicles by security personnel assigned at a checkpoint to grant easy passage through security corridors.
Speaking to this outlet in Gompa, the coordinator of the ECOWAS Brown Card office, Nathan Kparkar explained that the alleged failure of personnel of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS) to cooperate with the office is contributing to the low income of government revenue in Nimba.
According to Kparkar, the Deputy (LIS) commander Romeo Rogers of the Immigration checkpoint along the Monrovia Highway is not working in line with the office and is creating hardship for the workers in carrying out collection of government insurance and ECOWAS Brown Card taxes from vehicles entering the country.
“Trucks from Ivory Coast, Guinea, or other African countries with goods stopped briefly at the immigration checkpoint and ‘paid gate drop’ thereby allowing them to cross without inspection,” Kparkar pointed out.
“We are not collecting taxes for ECOWAS Brown Card and government insurance tax from drivers due to lack of cooperation from the deputy LIS Commander Romeo Rogers and his assigned officers,” ECOWAS Coordinator Kparkar revealed.
Since the beginning of May 2025, a report leading to alleged collection of cash from truck drivers carrying consignments of 25 kg bags of rice and petroleum products to Guinea through the border in Gompa is creating serious concerns among the residents in the county.
The joint security in Gompa is headed by Korto Yarparzuor, the LIS assigned commander and Chair lady of the Joint Security.
When this outlet contacted the LIS checkpoint in Gompa, LIS female special assistant referred this paper to contact the deputy commander of LIS, Romeo Rogers on the issue.
When Commander Rogers was contacted, he remained tight-lipped on the substantive issues instead, he told this reporter he wants to know his accusers before speaking to the press.
When this outlet made a follow up contact via phone calls to Yarparzuor, the LIS Commander of the LIS detail in Gompa on her orange cell phone number, it was switched off up to press time
