Last Updated on June 11, 2025 by The Liberian Investigator
MONROVIA – Bishop Dr. Kortu K. Brown, former president of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), has criticized the government for what he described as poorly timed actions that overshadowed a week of national celebration with the arrest of four opposition lawmakers.
Dr. Brown, who is also general overseer of the New Water in the Desert Assembly Apostolic Pentecostal International Church, said the government should have allowed the country to fully celebrate recent achievements before drawing attention to politically charged criminal proceedings.
“Liberia had so many reasons to celebrate — our election to the UN Security Council, the removal of Liberia from the U.S. travel ban, the president’s extension of the rice tariff suspension under Executive Order No. 150, and the inauguration of ArcelorMittal’s new plant in Nimba County,” Bishop Brown said. “These are all milestones worth celebrating, not moments to overshadow with arrests and detentions.”
He described last week’s developments as a missed opportunity for national unity and pride, arguing that the government’s timing undermined goodwill and public morale.
“I never imagined that the government would cut short the celebration by arresting lawmakers and sending them to South Beach [Monrovia Central Prison],” he added.
The arrests occurred as Liberia basked in global praise for its diplomatic and economic strides. But celebrations were soon dampened when Police Inspector General Col. Gregory O. W. Coleman announced that the lawmakers were linked to an alleged plot dating back to November 2024.
Former Speaker J. Fonati Koffa was formally charged with criminal conspiracy under Chapter 10, Section 10.4 of Liberia’s Penal Code. Rep. Abu Kamara (District #15, Montserrado), Rep. Jacob C. Debee (District #3, Grand Gedeh), and Rep. Dixon Seboe (District #16, Montserrado) were also implicated in what authorities described as a carefully coordinated conspiracy.
According to the police charge sheet, Kamara and Debee allegedly attended planning meetings and managed logistics, while Seboe is accused of distributing funds to individuals hired to execute the operation.
All four lawmakers were released on Monday after spending two nights in detention. They now face multiple charges including arson, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment, attempted murder, criminal facilitation, and criminal solicitation.
While Bishop Brown made it clear that he is not opposed to legal accountability, he stressed that the accused must be afforded a fair and transparent judicial process.
“I am not against the prosecution of anyone,” he said. “But let the process be fair. Give them a free trial under the law.”
He further cautioned both the government and the opposition against escalating political tension, warning that such actions risk destabilizing the hard-won peace that Liberia has enjoyed since the end of its 14-year civil conflict.
“Liberians have suffered too much to gamble with peace,” Bishop Brown said. “Let us all reflect on where we came from and understand that no one has the moral right to disturb the peace this country has fought to maintain.”
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