Monrovia, Liberia – As growing public scrutiny puts pressure on Liberia’s drug campaign, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has ordered an immediate and thorough investigation into allegations involving Deputy Commissioner of Police Fitzgerald T. M. Biago, Officer-in-Charge of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA). The President’s order was issued on Saturday, August 8, in response to a communication from the Attorney General and Justice Minister regarding Biago’s decision to step down from the LDEA’s leadership in light of new accusations involving a pickup truck purportedly connected to a drug suspect or suspected trafficker.
The Executive Mansion claims that President Boakai has given the Minister of Justice instructions to carry out a “comprehensive and impartial investigation” into the accusations and all relevant circumstances. The minister has been given 48 hours to provide the president a thorough report. The investigation takes place at a delicate moment for Liberia’s security sector, which has been under intense public scrutiny after a number of significant drug-related investigations and seizures, as well as claims of potential compromises or weaknesses in the institutions in charge of fighting drug trafficking.
President Boakai has emphasized that no person or organization is above the law and reiterated his administration’s commitment to combating illegal substances, organized crime, and corruption. Additionally, the president ordered that the investigation be carried out completely and impartially, using only the facts as a guide. According to the Executive Mansion, the President will examine the report after it is turned in and decide what more needs to be done for the Liberian people, justice, and accountability.
After Biago formally declared that he was stepping down from his active responsibilities as the head of the LDEA, the dispute grew more intense. In his correspondence with the Justice Minister, Biago stated that the ruling was meant to maintain the integrity, openness, and public confidence of Liberia’s national anti-drug campaign while permitting an unimpeded administrative and security probe. The recusal comes after a pickup truck that was allegedly observed at the LDEA OIC’s office and connected to a drug suspect or trafficker was the subject of public accusations and social media posts.
The accusations have raised concerns about the vehicle’s conditions and whether the LDEA leadership had any improper connections with people who were the subject of a drug investigation. The investigation is anticipated to establish the facts and ascertain whether any laws, rules, or security procedures were broken; no findings of misconduct against Biago have been made public. Liberia’s already difficult struggle against drug trafficking is made more difficult by the most recent issue.
The probe of the LDEA leadership is anticipated to come under heavy public scrutiny, since the nation has recently been shaken by significant drug seizures and mounting concerns about the security institutions’ capacity to stop the flow of drugs across Liberia. The main concern is now if the episode reveals more serious flaws in Liberia’s national drug enforcement apparatus rather than just who was connected to the car at the LDEA headquarters.
The President has stated that the investigation’s findings will dictate the following steps. The expectations are similarly clear in light of the public’s growing demands for accountability from the security sector: the investigation must establish the facts, assign blame when misconduct is discovered, and eliminate any possibility of institutional or political cover.
