By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia, Liberia — The Executive Protection Service (EPS) has announced a new set of safety measures which it says is aimed at ensuring the secure movement of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential motorcades.
An EPS release dated Wednesday, January 22, 2025, states: “Yielding to Sirens: All motorists, emergency vehicles, and pedestrians are required to promptly yield to the sound of sirens from the Presidential Escort vehicles. Failure to comply may lead to a response from the EPS to neutralize potential threats”
Liberians baffled
The EPS’s recent decision baffles a lot of Liberians as they believe it is more advisable that the presidential motorcade gives emergency vehicles, especially ambulances and firefighters chance in such instances.
However, the EPS says it has reported numerous incidents where drivers, including those of emergency medical and fire vehicles, have ignored the right-of-way rules. Such actions, they believe not only jeopardize the safety of the President and Vice President but also pose risks to the public.
Prioritizing the presidency
According to Section 10.45 of the Vehicle and Traffic Laws of the Republic of Liberia, all motorists must yield to emergency and official vehicles. The EPS emphasizes that these regulations are in place to protect both the nation’s leaders and the public.
Effective immediately, the EPS says it will utilize all legal means to address any threats to the Presidential motorcade. Violators will be detained and handed over to the Liberia National Police for prosecution.
The EPS urges all citizens, motorists, and emergency responders to prioritize safety and adhere to traffic regulations. Cooperation is essential to ensure the secure and unhindered movement of the Presidential convoy.
Motorcade accidents
On July 24, 2024, an accident involving a presidential motorcade occurred along the Robertfield highway, leading to severe injuries and fatalities. The President was en route to the dedication of an orphanage home initiated by his wife when the accident took place.
According to Presidential Press Secretary Kula Fofana, the accident occurred when the motorcade collided with a tricycle (Keke) after the rider made a U-turn, with only three vehicles from the President’s convoy having departed at the time.
The collision involved the fourth vehicle in the convoy. Fofana confirmed that the accident resulted in one death, while three others sustained injuries.
Not a new story
The occurrence of the presidential motorcade being involved in an accident is not a one-of-a-kind story in the history of Liberia. In 2019, two persons were confirmed dead and several journalists seriously wounded in a car crash involving former President George Manneh Weah’s official motorcade when former Associate Justice Wilkins Wrights’ vehicle intruded into the presidential convoy Sunday, 10 February along the Monrovia- Gbarnga highway.
Weah and his entourage were returning from Gbarnga, Bong County following a Church Service when the intruding van collided with the Executive Mansion Press jeep (Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep) in the Presidential convoy, killing two persons instantly and seriously injuring the driver and all occupants of the press car.
The dead include Mr. Gabriel Nyanti Wilson, alias “Executive Horn”, an employee of the Ministry of State, was well known for blowing a traditional horn at presidential occasions held inside the country.
The late Wilson notably served four Liberian Presidents, beginning with slain President Samuel Kanyon Doe, jailed former President Charles Ghankay Taylor, former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and Weah, up to his demise. The second deceased was a female occupant of the intruding vehicle of Justice Wrights’ identified as Victoria Wlue.
