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By. Vaye A. Lepolu
The Liberia National Police (LNP) has announced a “NO GO ZONE” for commercial motorcyclists in Monrovia. At the Ministry of Information Regular Press Briefing on Tuesday, April 16, 2024, the Inspector General, Col. Gregory Coleman, announced plans to restrict the movement of commercial motorcyclists in certain areas of the city.
The Police IG said there is ongoing engagement with all motorcycle owners, tricycle owners, and Kekeh drivers in a dialogue on safety measures.
According to the Liberia National Police the “NO GO ZONE” for motorcyclists across Monrovia City will take effect on Tuesday, May 7, 2024.
Col. Coleman said the purpose of the “NO GO ZONE” restriction for motorcyclists in Monrovia is to maintain good traffic flow and address safety issues. He stated that safety issues in Liberia pose a significant challenge, particularly on cross-walls and pedestrian crossings.
However, in the past, restricting the movement of commercial motorcyclists sparked controversy due to its impact on the livelihoods of many unemployed youth. Though there has been no official response from the leadership of the Federation of Motorcyclist Unions in Liberia until press time, some motorcyclists have reacted angrily to the announcement. According to them, they suffered to vote for President Joseph Nyuma Boakai; their payback cannot become pushing them into willful joblessness, as Boakai’s administration has not taken any significant steps in addressing unemployment in the country.
Some pundits believe that the government is creating more hardship than addressing the bread and butter issues facing ordinary people over the years and that a rescue government should be more concerned with dealing with controversial issues that will greatly affect ordinary people in the first two quarters of the presidency, thinking that it might just lead to more tension in the country.
Meanwhile, the Liberia National Police says it has arrested one of the key suspects involved in the gruesome murder of Amanda Nebo, a member of the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) Police.
On April 14, 2024, robbers attacked Amanda Nebo at Bardnesville Junction as she was leaving town by midnight.
Gregory Coleman, the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police, reported that the police arrested one suspect on April 16 as part of a crime wash investigation.
According to the Police Inspector General, the investigation is still ongoing for the arrest of the remaining suspects who were involved in the murder of Amanda Nebo, a 36-year-old female City Police officer.
He stated that the Liberia National Police will arrest the remaining suspected individuals in a few days.
Meanwhile, Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman mentioned that the police are trying to deal with crime across the city of Monrovia in order to improve citizen movement.
According to him, the Liberia National Police is in the process of putting measures in place to reduce the crime rate in Monrovia at night. Registration of human and motorcycle movements at night is one of the measures that will be put in place by the Liberia National Police.
Inspector General Gregory Coleman stated that the LNP will also be involved in community engagement to restrain criminal activities, and he said that the Liberia National Police is reinforcing all policies of crime restraint for the good movement of citizens.
However, Inspector Gregory Coleman narrated, The Liberia National Police begins its community policing training on Sunday, April 14, at Totota, Lower Bong County, on crime issues and how they can be handled for the safety of citizens.” Gregory Coleman said LNP will be engaging churches, schools, and mosques in Liberia.
Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman emphasized that international engagements with partners and the Liberia National Police for logistics are fruitful.
Meanwhile, the LNP Inspector General also mentioned that the LNP has introduced biometric police clearance and database collection at the National Port Authority for information collection.
