LNP: Do You Know That Liberian Lives Matter?

The Liberian National Police (LNP) is a constituent component of a network of a much spacious Liberian security force responsible to: “maintain public order and safety; protect people and property; identify and recover lost and stolen property; prevent, detect and fight crime; identify and arrest criminals; and to also enforce the law and to sometimes testify in court.” These branches may appear to sound hopeful but are they appallingly incompatible with the expectations of the LNP, especially the moiety of the mandate that deals with the protection of people and the arrest of criminals.

How possible can the LNP postulate to protect lives and arrest criminals when its immediate greenhorns came directly from terrible rebel’s gangsters and terrorist groups like the so-called Mandingoes-LURD of Guinea rebels, Charles Taylor-NPFL, LDF-Massaquoi, not forgetting the late Doe’s killing mechanism? Nine out of every 10 Liberian recruited by UNMIL in 2004 were presumed rebel’s gangsters. How can such mystiques protect lives and arrest criminals in Liberia? Most members of the LNF have blood on their hands especially those that may have committed hideous atrocities, crime and crime against humanity and are physically roaming Liberia with impunity.

Worse of the LNP establishment is known as the: “Armed Emergency Response Unit (ERU-2008), which to directly respond to combat spiraling armed robberies in Liberia. How can the LNP fight against itself? The terrible Armed Robbers in Liberia did not come from utter space, neither were they imported from the People Republic of China or from the United States, they are the same terrorists’ rebels that were recruited by UNIMIL and dressed them in blue suits under the banner of the LNP according to one insider. If this assertion is proven to be true, can these characters truly protect lives and arrest criminals in Liberia/Monrovia, when they themselves should be facing war crime and crime against humanity in a court of competent jurisdiction outside Liberia?

There are mysterious deaths littering around Liberia almost every week, the LNP has no clue because the LNP itself has developed a terrible don’t care attitude towards the death of innocent Liberian bodies lying in street corners on Liberian communities and part adjacent. Because of the LNP don’t care attitude, other foreigners are bent on killing Liberians with no impunity. According to important sources, some LNP personnel are fond of wearing the Liberian police uniform in the day and at night they wear black suits with masks as act as armed robbers at night to terrorize the entire community. This practice is not only horrible but terrible in a country where a long-running civil had been held and the participants of the war go with impunity.

It is pathetic to see innocent Liberians lying dead on streets in Liberian with so-called LNP doing nothing. For example, when the former LPRC boss Harris Greaves was killed mysteriously and his body was found lying on a beach, the LNP failed to bring the murder or murders to book. Many wondered why the personnel of the Criminal Division Section of the LNP stall drawing taxpayer money unnecessarily when they themselves need to be investigated about some of the murders taking place in Liberia.

Aside from these bodies being found loitering in cities, towns, and villages in Liberia the LNP has no sense of concerns for Liberian lives in Liberia. Liberians are being treated like animals or pets in their own home by Lebanese business people and the LNP looks on. Some Liberians are baffled about the existence of another LNP’s unit called: “Specialized Police Support Unit (PSU). Most Liberians asked: If the PSU cannot use its intelligence to identify and protect innocent lives in Liberia, there is no point for its existence as PSU, whose performance is no different from that of the heydays of the many terrorist units that existed during the 16-years civil wars through the then NPFL, LURD and the LDF. LNP is also stigmatized with gross unprofessionalism and systematic corruption, especially extortion of money from the very public the LNP claimed to protect in Liberia.

It can be recalled that in 2012, a reliable survey showed that Liberians perceived the police to be the most corrupt institution in Liberia. The Liberian courts were next in line when it comes to corruption. Reports revealed that from November 2012 to February 2013, Human Rights Watch interviewed over 220 people about police abuses in Liberia. The results were terrible and astonishing. There is no justice when it comes to policing in Liberia. In Liberia, the one who has the most funds will be given adequate police protection and Justice according to one eyewitness account in Liberia.

The 2012 survey also revealed that: “Regarding of location, victims of police corruption frequently expressed their concern that in Liberia, “justice is not for the poor,” or “no money, no justice.” They described police extortion at every stage of a case investigation—from registration of a complaint to transportation to the crime scene, to release from police detention. This institutional neglect has created a negative perception among many Liberians that wealth, not guilt, determine the outcome of a criminal case”.

This is insane on the part of the LNP. The appointment of Patrick Sudue, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (IGP), by H.E. President Weah, should be seen as a big challenge, by this newly appointed IGP. The appointment of the IGP should be translated into protecting the Lives of Liberians who are experiencing summary killing each day in a country where the innocent looks up to the police for protection and not look up to another killer for protection. The LNP should go after murderous, if not they themselves will be accused as the murderous in Liberia.

There are hundreds and hundreds of killers in Liberia who are either believed to be on the run or the LNP has an idea while so many Liberians are being killed regularly in their own native land. The IGP will need to step-up his professionalism and expertise to protect Liberian lives and arrest criminals who are making Liberia a terrible and horrible place to live. The IGP should be able to weed out rebels that were recruited by UNMIL to serve as a police officer since 2004 especially those that were heavily involved in carrying out atrocities against their fellow Liberians who are today called themselves police officers. If it means that the IGP himself was once a rebel fighter or domestic terrorist himself, he should be removed, arrested and persecuted by the laws of Liberia. H. E. President Weah shouldn’t compromise the idea of the LNP not protecting lives of Liberians which matters on a very serious note.