Speaker Koffa Intervenes, Sends Protesting CDCians Back into Headquarters

MONROVIA – The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa braved the protesting crowd in front of the CDC headquarters, disembarked from his convoy under heavy protection and commanded the angry CDCians to return inside the compound. In a firm tone, he was heard instructing the demonstrators, who were throwing stones and glass bottles towards Tubman Boulevard and the police: “Y’all need to go back in y’all fence.”

The confrontation follows an alleged police raid behind the opposition CDC headquarters at around 5 a.m. this morning. The unconfirmed reports suggest that the raid triggered an uproar among residents in the area, particularly women, who raised alarms. Their calls for help quickly drew more residents to resist the police operation.

Watch the Speaker ordering the protestors back into their compound. Video credit: Nyantee S. Togba

The Secretary-General of the CDC, Jefferson Koijee, took to Facebook to voice his concerns: “Late last night, a police pickup drove into the CDC compound and began shooting and raiding the environment. The whereabouts of some partisans are unknown. Such provocation is unfortunate and calls for immediate attention.”

In response to the police action, residents and CDC partisans began burning tires on Tubman Boulevard—the main road connecting Paynesville City to Central Monrovia—effectively blocking traffic and making it impossible for vehicles to pass in front of the CDC headquarters.

Our reporter, Nynatee Togbah, who was at the scene, observed glass bottles and stones being hurled from the CDC compound onto the main Boulevard as tensions escalated.

There are also unconfirmed reports that a woman was shot during the incident, though our reporter has been unable to independently verify this claim at the time of this breaking news.

The unrest has forced LoneStar Cell MTN, whose headquarters are directly across from the CDC compound, to temporarily close their offices.

This is a developing story; we will provide updates as more details emerge.