Monrovia, Liberia — Representative Taa Wongbe has raised concerns over the Boakai-Koung administration’s handling of Liberia’s ongoing fight against illicit drugs, warning that major drug seizures could lose their impact if the government fails to address growing questions from the public.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Wongbe acknowledged and commended President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his stated commitment to combating the drug trade, while also praising security agencies for intercepting suspected narcotics and making arrests.
However, he said the government faces a troubling paradox: while authorities are recording major drug busts, public confidence in some of the institutions responsible for the fight appears to be declining.
“How can this administration be winning the drug busts but losing the public’s trust?” Wongbe asked.
The lawmaker said each major breakthrough in the drug fight seems to generate new questions, particularly when private citizens, journalists and social media investigators appear to uncover information that government institutions with greater resources and investigative powers have not publicly addressed.
“We all want this administration to win this fight. Liberia needs this administration to win, but something is not just right and, as we say in Liberia, something is fishy — seriously fishy,” Wongbe stated.
He also expressed concern over allegations reportedly made by a senior officer at Monrovia Central Prison concerning events inside the facility involving individuals linked to the ongoing drug investigation.
Wongbe said such allegations are serious and should be independently investigated to either establish their credibility or clear those accused of wrongdoing.
According to the representative, the issue has now gone beyond drug seizures and arrests and has become a question of public confidence in Liberia’s security institutions.
He noted that although many Liberians continue to give President Boakai the benefit of the doubt, confidence in certain officials and institutions within his administration appears to be weakening.
“Liberians should not have to choose between believing state security, journalists, Facebook investigators or politicians. The evidence should speak for itself,” he said.
Wongbe argued that the executive branch bears the greatest responsibility for providing credible answers because it controls the country’s security apparatus and has access to investigative resources and intelligence.
He said lawmakers, opposition politicians, journalists and social media commentators should not have to fill an information gap created by government agencies.
The lawmaker further cautioned that arrests, suspensions, dismissals and recusals alone may not be sufficient to restore public confidence.
Instead, he called for a credible and independent investigation led by respected, non-partisan individuals who can follow the evidence wherever it leads, without political influence, fear or favoritism.
“If people within our security institutions helped drug traffickers, protected them or took money from them, prosecute them. If those accusations are false, present the evidence and clear their names,” Wongbe said.
He concluded by warning that Liberia cannot effectively defeat the drug trade while losing the confidence of its citizens.
“To restore public trust, this administration must open the doors and allow a credible, independent investigation to follow the evidence wherever it leads. No protection. No cover-ups. No political considerations. We cannot afford to become a narco state,” Wongbe warned.
