ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 2023 the joint security, led by the Liberia National Police (LNP), arrested a huge consignment of light and heavy military weapons entering the country through the Freeport of Monrovia.
IN A PRESS conference addressed by the Inspector of Police, Col. Patrick Sudue, the joint security informed the public that they received intelligence, through the international partners, that consignments of arms had landed into the country, but swiftly intercepted the shipment before it could depart the port.
COL. SUDUE DISCLOSED that the arrested container has been sealed up, and will later be opened for thorough and proper inspection. He stated that they halted the inspection because it was already under their custody and did not want to spread the information until they could arrest all the culprits linked to the shipment. He named Barbara Debah, a resident of Old Road, as the individual in contact with Benjamin Baker, who shipped the weapons to Liberia. Baker is a Liberian residing in Texas, United States of America. He disclosed that Barbara Debah has been arrested, along with Melvina M. Payne, the custom broker of the shipment.
HE EXPLAINED THAT on Wednesday, January 4, 2023, their investigation led them to G-4 community, Brewerville, where a house was identified to be owned by Benjamin Baker and allegedly serves as an arsenal for smuggled weapons. He said they prayed for search and seizure warrant from the court and their wish was granted early Thursday morning. βDuring our search, we discovered more arms and ammunition in the ceiling of the house. We also arrested one Ezekiel Tamba, who was also caught hiding in the ceiling,β Col. Sudue noted.
ACCORDING TO HIM, arms discovered in the house include Creedmoor 6.5x55mm Assault Rifle, AR10-7.6mm Assault Rifle, Winchester 1894 Pellet Double Barrel Gun and assorted ammunitions. He also named many other deadly weapons used for military warfare as being confiscated from the container seized at the port.
THIS SCENARIO HAS claimed the attention of the stakeholders to the nationβs peace and security and human rights community. The Secretary General of the Civil Society Human Rights Advocacy Platform of Liberia, Adama K. Dempster, has expressed grave concern over the discovery as the country moves to national elections in October 2023.
ACCORDING TO DEMPSTER, the discovery of these arms and ammunitions has again briefed the atmosphere of fear among the Liberia people, reminding them of the echo of wars the country suffered in the past. He stated that this is worrisome because Liberia and Liberians went through back-to-back civil wars in the 1990s, which claimed the lives of over 250,000 people in cold blood and no one has been held accountable. βGiven the devastating account of Liberiaβs civil wars history, Liberians are not prepared for a third round of civil war, neither the emerging of new war lordsβ¦ There is no room for new warlords in Liberia,β Dempster noted.
POLICE SPOKESMAN, MOSES H. Carter, expressed fear that the intent of those brining the guns is unknown, but vowed that they will face the full weight of the law. He warned the public to behave accordingly. He noted the LNP is about to begin arresting cars plying the streets with tinted glasses that do not have the permission to do so from the Ministry of Justice.
