Published: August 7, 2026
MONROVIA – The Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has described President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s dismissal of senior officials linked to Liberia’s two largest drug seizures as evidence of deep-rooted governance failures within the country’s security and border institutions, warning that removing individuals alone will not fix compromised state systems.
Speaking Wednesday, Aug. 5, at a news conference in Monrovia, CENTAL Executive Director Anderson D. Miamen said the involvement of senior officials from the Roberts International Airport (RIA), Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Liberia National Police (LNP) and National Security Agency (NSA) demonstrates that the country’s integrity architecture had been compromised at multiple levels.
Boakai recently ordered the suspension, dismissal and prosecution of 12 government and law enforcement officials following investigations into two major narcotics seizures—a 238-kilogram drug haul valued at US$19 million in June and a four-metric-ton shipment valued at US$317 million in July. The combined estimated value of more than US$336 million makes the seizures the largest in Liberia’s history.
While commending the President and the Joint Security for pursuing the investigations instead of suppressing their findings, Miamen said the dismissals reveal systemic institutional weaknesses rather than isolated misconduct.
“It is evidence that the integrity architecture at our principal ports of entry and other locations were compromised at multiple points simultaneously,” Miamen said. “This is a governance failure, before it is a criminal one, and it will not be cured by merely removing individuals.”
He also praised the Liberian media, civil society organizations and citizens whose sustained public pressure led authorities to disclose the identities of persons of interest.
“That sequence—media and citizens’ pressure producing disclosure and disclosure producing actions—is civic accountability working as it should.”
Despite welcoming the government’s response, CENTAL said the measures remain insufficient, arguing that delayed public updates and lingering questions about the involvement of other state and non-state actors continue to undermine public confidence.
“Government’s current efforts are welcoming. However, they are inadequate. We call for timely and adequate disclosure of information about the investigation and other related processes, to give citizens greater hope and confidence that the system is working for them and not otherwise,” Miamen said.
The organization called for merit-based recruitment and rigorous vetting of officials assigned to strategic security positions, as well as the periodic rotation of personnel to safeguard professionalism and reduce opportunities for collusion.
CENTAL also urged the government to broaden the ongoing investigation by involving international partners, civil society organizations and other independent actors to strengthen public confidence in the credibility of the process.
“There should be no sacred cows in dealing with the current saga and all those associated with the crime must be investigated and prosecuted.”
During the news conference, CENTAL also welcomed Liberia’s 80% score in implementing the 2023 Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) Standard, describing it as a significant achievement for the country’s extractive sector.
The organization congratulated the Liberia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (LEITI) Secretariat and its Multi-Stakeholder Group for improving transparency, expanding public access to extractive sector information and aligning implementation with national development priorities.
However, Miamen cautioned that the validation also identified gaps, including inconsistencies in production and revenue data, incomplete beneficial ownership disclosures and the need for stronger data assurance systems and greater transparency on the environmental and social impacts of mining activities.
“A score is not a reform; it is a measurement of progress at a moment in time,” Miamen said. “The value of that moment depends entirely on whether the corrective actions identified are implemented before the next assessment, and whether the gains survive changes of personnel.”
CENTAL urged LEITI to publish a costed, time-bound implementation plan for the recommendations and called on the Legislature and development partners to provide the resources needed to implement them. It also renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in the negotiation, renegotiation, monitoring and oversight of extractive sector contracts to ensure Liberians receive maximum benefits from the country’s natural resources.
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