Monrovia, Liberia – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai over the weekend at his return from Japan, defended himself from the allegation that the government is involve in the demolition of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) headquarters, stressing the action was the enforcement of a court ruling and not a political decision.
“The law is the law. It is not the government; it is the government’s implementation of the law. The police were ordered to carry out the action, and they did. That demolition was simply the removal of people from premises that did not belong to them,” President Boakai told reporters upon his return from Japan.
The CDC facility in Congo Town was raided by police early Saturday in response to a verdict from the Sixth Judicial Circuit Court on August 13. Judge George W. Smith determined that the CDC had no legal ownership of the land after reviewing deeds and boundaries, and instructed the Montserrado County Sheriff to carry out the eviction.
The Liberia National Police said it assisted court sheriffs in enforcing the order and maintaining calm during the operation. Authorities reported finding a pack of cartridges in a building reportedly occupied by CDC Secretary General Jefferson T. Koijee and two rifles in another structure on the premises.
CDC leaders condemned the demolition, arguing the case remains before the courts. Party Chairman Janga Augustus Kowo said the CDC had filed appeals in two related cases at the Civil Law Court. “The case between the CDC and its landlord is a civil matter that is going through adjudication at the Liberian judiciary,” Kowo said.
