-Pres. Boakai reacts to presidential motorcade accident
By Jerromie S. Walters
President Joseph Nyuma Boakai expressed deep sorrow and regret over the tragic accident that occurred on Wednesday, July 24, 2024, involving his presidential motorcade. The accident, which resulted in a death and several injuries, occurred along the Robertfield highway as the President was on his way to the dedication of an orphanage home.
In a media engagement following his visit to the family of the victims at the ELWA Hospital, President Boakai emphasized the need for caution and vigilance on the roads. He stated, “We hope this is the last because I was surprised to see them on the kind of lane they were in. But you know, it’s just a matter of telling these people to be careful and the police will be there to guide them. We are very sorry for that.”
He assured them that all necessary support would be provided to ensure their recovery and well-being. President Boakai urged all citizens to be vigilant and responsible while on the roads to prevent such tragic incidents from occurring in the future.
Kula’s clarify
Following the accident, presidential Press Secretary Kula Fofana revealed that 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 one person died in the accident, while three others sustained injuries and are currently receiving treatment at the ELWA Hospital. The Presidential Press Secretary also disclosed that the Executive Protection Service (EPS) has initiated an investigation into the incident.
The backlash
About an hour after the accident, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai faced criticism from some Liberians, particularly social media users, for continuing with his scheduled event despite being involved in a fatal motorcade accident that resulted in deaths and injuries.
Despite the tragic incident that claimed a life and left injuries, President Boakai proceeded with the dedication ceremony and praised First Lady Kartumu Y. Boakai for her dedication to her duties, specifically in the reconstruction of the orphanage home. The event, held at the East VOA Community in Duazon Community, Paynesville, marked the dedication of the facility dubbed: the “Love A Child Orphanage Home.”
During his speech at the dedication, President Boakai expressed gratitude for the support and emphasized the importance of celebrating independence by supporting goodwill initiatives. “I want to say thank you for your commitment. We ask God to bless all of us here, to lend our support to goodwill. We string believe that this is the best way forward to celebrate our independence Anniversary.”
He also highlighted the significant role of persons with disabilities in society, stating that they are an integral part of the country. “They too are part of this country. The blind, the cripple, and I always tell people that you never know when you will become one of those. I know a lot of friends who used to see but they can’t see anymore,” he said. While some criticized the President for his actions, others have pointed fingers at the EPS personnel in the specific vehicle involved in the accident, labeling them as “Boakai’s security.”
Not a strange thing
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, who 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.
Victims who suffered serious injuries and pains from the crash include the former Ministry of State employees Gabriel Mills, former press car operator Samuel Zor, Suprano, Reuben Gongloe, ELBC’s Isaac Freeman, Joseph Sayon and privately-owned Prime FM’s Jerry Gaye and Godfrey Matthews.
Wright himself was also seen at JFK in a hospital bed, while his driver was said to be held there in a cuff. The press car operator Samuel Zor and ELBC’s assigned cameraman at the time Isaac Freeman were initially kept at the Phebe Hospital in Bong County Gbarnga to stabilize their conditions.
Before a team of the Executive Mansion press corps departed the hospital, officers of the Liberia National Police (LNP) were seen disembarking a police vehicle and entering the facilities, apparently to take custody of the convoy intruder. Following the accident, ex-president George Manneh expressed that his heart was saddened by the many deaths that had occurred recently, particularly in the last 24 hours.
He recalled that while returning from Gbarnga, his “convoy was intruded upon by a vehicle” which ran into a car carrying the press corps of the Executive Mansion, “resulting in two fatalities” and seriously injuring several others. Before setting out for Gbarnga on Sunday morning, Weah noted that he had received the death news of former Montserrado County Sen. Jeroldine Doe-Sherif, a one-time staunch member of Mr. Weah’s Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) party, who later broke alliance with the CDC long before the party won the presidency and her death.
