The Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), a paramilitary organization aiming to eliminate all threats posed to the Republic by illicit drug trafficking and abuse, has been rocked by internal wrangling and leadership crisis, to the extent that the Director General of the entity, Col. Abraham Kromah, and his two deputies for administration and operation, Gbawuo Kowou and Hassan Fadiga, engaged into a fistfight, thus warranting their suspension by the President.
On Wednesday, January 24, 2024, only two days after President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s inauguration, Col. Abraham Kromah was appointed to head the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) after several speculations and advocacies for him to head the Liberia National Police (LNP). A few days later, he was confirmed by the Liberian Senate and started active work at the LDEA, headquartered in Fiamah, Airfield.
In pursuit of getting the job done easily and smoothly, Col. Kromah recommended Hassan Fadiga and Gbawuo Kowou as his deputies at the entity. Graciously, the President consented and appointed Kowou Deputy Director for Administration and Fadiga as Deputy Director for Operation. Kromah was later criticized for bringing on board Fadiga, as investigation suggested that Fadiga is the brother of his fiancé. Howbeit, the criticism had little or no impact on the President’s decision, and they all were cleared by the Senate.
However, it appears like all is not on course at the LDEA, as the deputies have constantly complained of disrespect from their boss, while the boss has been complaining about gross insubordination.
A video recording in the possession of the Hot Pepper revealed a scene where the deputies for administration and operation were in a heated argument with their boss, using profane language to express their discontentment. Kowou was heard saying, “You the one told the people nobody [should] enter here with gun? We are not having no f**ing meeting here. What kinda disrespect is that? Why you will disrespect us like that for? What the f**k wrong with you AB…because I been respecting you? What the f**k wrong with you?”
Also, the Deputy for Operation was heard saying, “As long as I’m in DEA as law enforcement officer, I will come anywhere with gun. I’m not in your office, but you cannot stop me from moving with weapon in this place.”
Fadiga stated that Col. Kromah has been very disrespectful and unprofessional since he took over as LDEA boss, and they have been tolerating him. “…Look, it’s only in front of these people you can bullshit. You are very disrespect and unprofessional. Shut the f**k up when I’m talking.”
He concurred that his name was recommended to the President by Col. Kromah, but that he realized that Kromah was “not a good human being”.
The tussle, which occurred on Monday, June 3, 2024, was said to have erupted among the LDEA bosses when Col. Kromah ordered that no one should enter into his office with a weapon, which his two deputies saw as an affront and a disrespect to their positions.
Unfortunately, the following day, June 4, 2024, President Boakai suspended all of them with immediate effect and without pay, and ordered an investigation be conducted into the matter.
The President was commended for swiftly saving the face of the LDEA, and for ordering an investigation to find out the problems at the entity.
However, security experts have expressed descending views in the President’s decision to suspend the Director General along with his deputies, observing that the LDEA is a para-military institution that operates similarly to a military entity with civil responsibilities. They argued that in a military or paramilitary entity, one has a duty to obey all lawful orders of superiors, and the order not to enter the Director General’s office with arm was a lawful one.
They defined insubordination as willfully disobeying a lawful order of one’s superior, which they said isgenerally a punishable offense in hierarchical organizations such as military and paramilitary institutions, which depend on people lower in the chain of command obeying orders.
They condemned the gross insubordination meted against the LDEA boss, and requested that President Boakai dismisses the two deputies immediately in order to serve as a warning for further occurrences. They wondered how the deputies would abuse their boss in the presence of other junior officers, noting that their action warrants disarmament, disrobing and disbarment.
They termed Fadiga and Kowou as ingrates, asserting that, for the fact that they admitted that Col. Kromah recommended their names to the President to be appointed as his deputies, they should have been respectful and obedient to him by using the proper channels to express their grievances.
Speaking to the Hot Pepper on the basis of anonymity, a security expert informed the paper that in the military it is duty before complain, and obedience is the first line of defense. The retired security personnel noted that Fadiga and Kowou should have either obeyed Kromah’s order or let him be, but not to engage their “commander” in a war of words, lest to mention a fistfight.
The expert exonerated Kromah from any wrongdoing in the video recording, and insisting that no where in the recording warrants Kromah’s suspension.
The expert quoted sections of the LDEA Act of 2014 Act, stating that the Director General has greater powers, and also render the deputies just assistants or operatives with the dedicated authority of the Director General. According to him, the Director General of the LDEA supervises and oversees all functionaries of the LDEA, including the workings of his two deputies, and that the two deputies work under the direction of the Director General, subject to his control.
This being the case, the security expert termed the President’s decision on Kromah as harsh and unwarranted, and entreated the President to reconsider his decision and reinstate Kromah while the investigation goes on to ascertain the facts.