-CSO Council, others want LDEA Boss, Deputies dismissed and replaced
Since the unexpected altercation between executives of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) earlier this week, Liberians, especially supporters of the ruling establishment have expressed their outmost disappointment and stressed the need for the three officials to be dismissed.
Interestingly, the National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) has not been left out on this, as they have lauded President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s administrative decision to suspend all three top officials but calls for their (Kromah, and his Deputies) immediate dismissal and replacement.
The National Civil Society Council of Liberia (NCSCL) has lauded President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s firm administrative decision to suspend all three top officials of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) for continued infightings but calls for their (Kromah, and his Deputies) immediate dismissal and replacement.
NCSCL, which is the umbrella organization for all civil society organizations in the country, wants the Liberian leader to, with immediate effect dismiss the three officials and have them replaced without delay as it acknowledges that the fight against drugs is pivotal to the country’s growth and development process.
Immediately after the confrontation between Kromah and his deputies at the LDEA Headquarters, Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon recommended the need for the dismissal of the three LDEA Executives if they can’t be changed. He wrote, “LDEA embarrassing! Time for action.. change or be changed. Either ONE or BOTH must (should) be replaced – with immediacy!!”
In recent times, the LDEA has been engrained with infighting amid claims and counter-claims among the top three officials, with Mr. Kromah on one side and his two deputies on another side.
The fracas exacerbated Monday, June 3, 2024 when a violent altercation erupted between Mr. Kromah and Fadiga, leading to the prompt intervention of Gregory Coleman, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, before the situation was brought under control.
Predicated upon this, President Boakai immediately suspended the trio heading the LDEA – Director General Mr. Abraham S. Kromah, Deputy Director General for Administration, Mr. Gbawou Kowou, and the Deputy Director General for Operations, Mr. Hassan Fadiga without pay pending investigation.
On the heels of this, the CSO Council on Wednesday, June 5, 2024 issued a statement welcoming the President’s action, while at the same time calling for speedy and impartial investigation as well as the immediate dismissals of Kromah and his deputies.
The CSO Council pointed out the LDEA, being a government’s institution established to fight against drugs, which happens to be one of the biggest wars globally, is expected to portray all attributes of integrity and that anything short of this is a matter of concern.
NCSCL maintains ongoing misunderstanding at the Agency has the propensity to dampen all efforts directed towards the fight against drugs, and as such, Kromah and entire team must be removed to be replaced with Liberians who have the zest and integrity to serve their country.
“The National Civil Society Council wants to use this time to welcome President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for his prompt intervention and decisive step to suspend those officials fighting among themselves at the LDEA. The Council sees the Liberian leader’s decision as a mark of good and responsible leadership, and so we want to thank him for that,” stated the Council in the statement signed by Chairperson Loretta Alethea Pope-Kai.
“Now that those officials suspended, the Council hereby calls on the President to, with no delay have them dismissed and replaced because the fight against drugs and illicit substances remains the biggest battle that the country faces. And as promised, the government must launch a speedy investigation into the matters unfolding at the entity, because some of these might be detrimental to the country. For us, we see matters at the LDEA as something that threatens the security of our state, and as such, urgency must be attached in addressing it. Something must be responsible for these in-house fighting and this is why this investigation is necessary and urgent. This is worrisome and must be brought to an end.”
Boakai takes initial step
On June 4, 2024, President Joseph N. Boakai, Sr., with immediate effect, suspended, without pay, pending investigation, the Director General, Mr. Abraham S. Kromah, Deputy Director General for Administration, Mr. Gbawou Kowou, and the Deputy Director General for Operations, Mr. Hassan Fadiga of the Liberian Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA)
The President ordered an investigation of the events occurring at the Agency on June 3, 2024. He said, “The acts of disorder and chaos that took place at the headquarters of the LDEA were unacceptable.” Such acts, the President continued, threaten public peace and undermine the Government’s fight against illicit drugs.
In the interim, the President named Mr. Christopher Peters, as Officer in Charge (OIC) of the Agency pending the conclusion of the investigation. Peters is a well-trained security personnel and comes highly recommended. On Monday, a violent altercation erupted between Mr. Kromahand Fadiga, leading to the prompt intervention of Gregory Coleman, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, before the situation was brought under control.
Addressing a press conference after the altercation, Kromah admitted the unhealthy relationship with his deputies and called for a meeting with the President to find a solution. “The mixture is not a good mixture. Basically, we have to sit down with the leader to see if we can find a way out of this quagmire because Liberians are dying, kids are dying. We have to find a way to protect them and support them,” he said.
He added, “The director of Police had to come because I called him up. I called him because Fadiga was brandishing a weapon and we had to disarm him. We took the gun from him, and Gbawou Kowou left and went to his office.”
