Prison officers protest over delay benefits
- but government confirms payment soon
By Lincoln G. Peters
Employees of the Monrovia Central Prison on early Thursday, November 23, 2023, staged a protest preventing inmates from entering and leaving the prison facility in demand of salaries and just benefits as well as the lack of food and medical supplies.
The situation which later turned chaotic led to two people sustaining major injuries, a male and female.
After several minutes of tussle, calm was restored when the Director of Administration at the Liberia National Police Asatu Reeves arrived at the scene and held talks with authorities at the prison facility and along with the aggrieved employees.
The angry protesters later extended their protest at the Justice Ministry to seek redress from Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean. At the Ministry of Justice, Deputy Minister of Finance, Planning and Development Samurai Wolokolie and others had an indoor meeting on the payment of the officers.
Following the meeting, a press conference was held at the Ministry of Justice, to address the plight of the aggrieved Prison Facility employees.
At the joint press conference organized by the Liberian Joint Security and the Monrovia Central Prison authorities assured the media that they were on top of the situation.
The Director of Prisons Reverend Sainleseh Kwaidah told journalists that the Government of Liberia has no outstanding salaries for prison employees.
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He noted that those who were protesting did so for their portion of the Joint Security campaign fund that was given for security operations and service.
” I want to make this clear that those who were protesting were not protesting for salary. They were protesting for their portion of the Joint Security campaign fund. Now you are shocked how they are included in the fund because during the campaign and elections period, they were given extra time and that is the money they need” she stated.
Also speaking, Mr. Moses Carter, spokesperson of the Joint Security Media Relations and the Liberian National Police, said authorities are working on the payment of all officers including the LNP.
He said that the delayed in the payment of officers was due to the wrong names and identity they placed on mobile money numbers provided for payment.
” We will begin the payment of officers shortly. The Ministry of Justice is reviewing all the documents. The delay in the payment was due to officers giving mobile money numbers that do not bear their names. Others also provided orange mobile money number and we pay with Lonestar and so these are the things we are addressing” he noted.
