STAKEHOLDERS, INCLUDING POLITICAL actors, have become concerned that the alarming drug situation in the country has reached the proportion of “national emergency” and “threat to national security”. Ambassador Joseph N. Boakai, Standard Bearer of the Unity Party (UP) at the October 10, 2023 polls, is one of them. Ambassador Boakai believes that the recent seizure of US$100 million worth of drugs, the trial that ensued and the mysterious and unexplained departure from the country of all those who stood trial and were “acquitted” are an indication of the extent to which the country has been rapidly exposed, in the last few years, to what he calls the “narco” trade, and the vulnerability of the Liberian society to the impact of such large-scale assault by international criminal enterprises. “Significantly, it reveals the failure of national leadership, a weak and criminal justice system and crucially raises suspicion about the probable complicity of some higher-ups in this affair,” ambassador Boakai stated.
THE UP STANDARD Bearer, addressing Liberians at the Unity Party (UP) Broad Street headquarters on Monday, June 26, 2023 as it regards a national drug epidemic, underscored that the country is gradually losing its next generation to drug abuse, and if practical actions are not taken urgently the prospect of future generations inheriting a more complex and challenging national situation looms largely. “The country stands to face a possible future of increased crime rate, unemployment, increased sexual and gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS, teenage pregnancy, and TB as just a few of the challenges,” Ambassador Boakai maintained.
THE PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFUL Boakai blames the Weah administration for this state of affairs. “Clearly, it is now obvious that the Weah Administration is incapable, unwilling, complicit and indifferent to this crisis. They don’t see it as most Liberians see it—a national emergency. This is why a change in national leadership is and should be now. We must see our votes as an opportunity to want to reverse this dangerous trend by saving our children and securing their future.”
AMBASSADOR BOAKAI SAID he views drug as a threat to national security, and must be elevated to a national emergency. “The statistics cannot be more stark! It is estimated that 2 in 10 youth in Liberia are users of narcotic substances. Some estimates have it that about 13% of the population is affected by drug addiction. The correlation between substance abuse and crimes is equally worrying, with the police reporting an increase in drug-related crimes. To support the overwhelming desire to continue using narcotics, these young people who live in so-called ghettos strewn across this country, in cemeteries, on the streets, and in other unsavory places often resort to crimes, including arm robberies,” the UP Standard Bearer noted.
“THESE CRIMES AND their effect on victims and those who commit them are heartbreaking because we know they are motivated by the drive for drugs. Currently, there are over 866 ghettos in Monrovia serving as homes to chronic drug users. These ghettos are associated with illicit activities, including launching pads for drug-related crimes.