Normal worship service at the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministries of Nimba County Senator Prince Y Johnson was disrupted on Sunday, May 21, 2023 by militants of the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) of President George M. Weah and the National Patriotic Party (NPP) of Vice President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
The militant group marched on Lover Street, behind LBS community in Paynesville where the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministries is located, with placards and dressed up in their red-and-blue berets. The placards’ wordings called for a war crimes court for Senator Johnson, while some described him as a warlord. Some of the militants were believed to have harmful objects and were very abusive at the Church’s compound, where members and visitors had gone to do their regular Sunday worship.
The Sunday action came as a result of Senator Johnson’s open invitation on Facebook for people to worship with him. He also posted on his page that he was to officially respond to Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor’s recent statement against him on Capitol Hill.
V.P Taylor on last week Thursday said electing Joseph N. Boakai will be like electing Prince Johnson because Boakai’s running mate, Jeremiah Koung, is not different from Senator Johnson.
According to the group’s spokesperson, Juah Toby, they were in the church because Senator Johnson had invited them, including Vice President Taylor. The NPP militants said they had gone to the Christ Chapel of Faith Ministries of Senator Johnson to remind him of the war crimes court since he wants to use the pulpit to discuss Vice President Taylor. They have vowed to always visit the Nimba County Senator at his worship place anytime he plans to lash at political figures or stakeholders. “We will not sit anymore to allow Senator Johnson to use his church to attack anyone from NPP, mainly the Standard Bearer, Jewel Howard Taylor.
Addressing the media at his Du-Port Road residence after the disruption, the Nimba County Senator and Founder of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) accused Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Koijee, Eugene Nagbe and Vice President Taylor of sending tugs and hooligans to attack him. He alleged that the CDC government has planned to assassinate him for withdrawing his support, according to his reliable informers.
The MDR political godfather urged those involved to stop because he is not here for war; instead, he prefers peace over instability. He averred that the same Liberian people who voted President Weah are fully prepared to vote him out in October because of bad governance. He cautioned VP Taylor to stop picking at him because she is a little sister to him. Johnson revealed that he has no plan to leave Liberia and cannot be intimidated by anyone.
He informed reporters on Sunday that he will write the American embassy and other diplomatic institutions, Ministry of Justice and the Liberian Senate to inform them about the threat on his life. At the same time, the Senator said he will put up self-defense whenever his life is threatened.
Due to the action on Sunday, he promised to deploy over 500 men at his church every Sunday during service hours. He called on all his supporters to remain calm because peace is all Liberians crave for.
