Misleading, CDC youth chairman was not arrested with a gun during July 17 protest

Published: July 22, 2025

MONROVIA – While the July 17 protest in Monrovia was ongoing, a social media blog called Rescue Liberia claimed in a Facebook post that the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) Youth League Chairman had been arrested with a gun.

Emmanuel Mulbah Johnson, the CDC Youth League Chairman, had earlier endorsed the July 17 protest, stating that the Youth League “will stand with the people in resistance to corruption, oppression, and neglect.”

The blog, which has over 75,000 followers, saw its post generate nearly 300 comments and 39 shares.

The Claim

The post reads: “CDC Youth Chairman has been arrested with a gun.”

Rating Justification

To verify this claim, we reviewed the official Facebook pages of credible media outlets, the Liberia National Police (LNP), and the Ministry of Justice.

We found no posts or publications from these institutions regarding the arrest of Emmanuel Johnson with a gun.

Additionally, we contacted Cecelia G. Clark, spokesperson for the LNP, to confirm whether anyone had been arrested with a gun during the protest.

Madam Clark responded, describing the information as false.

Conclusion

Based on our findings, we conclude that the claim by Rescue Liberia that the CDC Youth League Chairman was arrested with a gun is misleading.

The police did not arrest anyone with a firearm during the July 17 protest in Monrovia.

Editor’s Note:

This fact check was produced by Local Voices Liberia with support from the European Union through the Liberia Media Empowerment Program (LMEP). The funder had no say in the editorial decision leading to the production of this fact-check report.  Read the original fact-check report here.