“The wrong side of love”

By: Emmanuel Wise Jipoh 

Monrovia, August 8, 2025: Fobay Emery Johnson, a graduate of the University of Liberia and resident of Duport Paynesville, has been allegedly tied to armed robbery after he broke into the popular Eco Bank, 11th Street Sinkor office on Wednesday morning.

Sources said Johnson had a complicated relationship with his girlfriend, Angeline Sillah, in an upside-down relationship, and had gone to retaliate against provocation. Angeline is said to be in another love affair with a man identified as Andrew Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Rejoice Logistics.

Further reports said Johnson and Angeline’s relationship had broken down over grievances and jealousy, as Johnson, the alleged Eco Bank assailant, is already married and has a family. Alove, as she is known, didn’t want to engage with a married man, something that led to her getting into a relationship with Anderson.

However, on Wednesday morning, August 6, 2025, Johnson, who has been widely identified as a research and administrative assistant at the University of Liberia, College of Health Sciences, advocating for genetic screening and prenatal/postnatal care in Liberia, broke into the bank to avenge his anger against “Alove Sillah, his girlfriend, for breaking his heart.

Sources told the New Dawn that Johnson had gone to the bank to confront Alove out of anger when the incident happened. They noted that the two lovebirds had been dating for over five years and that Johnson had been sponsoring Alove while renting her apartment.

An anonymous source said Johnson has been loyal to Alove, or Angeline, but has had his relationship and family.

Further reports said that, out of frustration over Angeline leaving him and posting another man (Anderson), the alleged assailant, Johnson, got aggrieved and went to the bank, out of frustration, to confront Alove, his girlfriend, in an outburst to avenge her for allegedly cheating on him with Anderson.

According to witnesses at the bank, Johnson arrived at 10:45 am and snuck through the private banking sector to avenge his anger against Angeline, who is a teller at the bank.

Other sources who described Johnson as an assailant said he broke through the back entrance of the bank, allegedly carrying a backpack with dozens of weapons, including pepper spray, and attacked Sillah, who was engaged in a banking transaction.

Varney Karn, Security Supervisor at the Bank, explained that the alleged assailant broke in at around 10:45, scaled the back entrance, and carried on the attack.

“This individual was well dressed, and he came around 10:45, entered the bank using the back, intending to carry out a private transaction, and as he made his way through, he attacked the teller with pepper spray while trying to use his hands against her eyes, Karn said.

He reiterated that upon the attack, an alarm was raised, drawing immediate attention from the police, who swiftly intervened and apprehended the suspect.

“When he had attacked the teller, she raised the alarm, and the police came immediately. That’s how he was arrested and taken away,” Karn said.

He detailed that the robbery attack was unsuccessful, with no cash taken away and no property being destroyed.

“Nothing major happened; the guy only slipped into the bank and had a bag with weapons, pepper spray, and other harmful objects, but there was nothing destroyed, as the police intervened, and nothing was damaged,” Kai added.

Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police (LNP) has launched an investigation into the incident. Eco Bank confirmed the situation while calling for calm among its customers.

At the same time, speculation making rounds in the public has had its say on the incident, with some wondering as to why Johnson might have blown up in anger to attack his girlfriend at the bank, while others have described him as a true criminal who had gone to rob the bank. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.