Student Unification Party blasts Unity Party for "state terrorism," demands release of detained students

Student Unification Party blasts Unity Party for “state terrorism,” demands release of detained students

Published: April 28, 2025

MONROVIA — The Vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) on Monday fiercely condemned the Unity Party-led government, accusing it of “state terrorism” after police forces reportedly stormed the University of Liberia and violently cracked down on students.

In a fiery statement issued April 28, SUP decried what it described as a “savage, mindless, and dictatorial invasion” of the university’s Capitol Hill campus by police under the administration of President Joseph Boakai. The group demanded the “immediate and unconditional” release of detained students, warning that the government would be held accountable for any harm inflicted.

“We bring you militant greetings from the unbending and unbeatable Vanguard Student Unification Party,” the group’s Secretary-General, Odecious Mulbah, declared, invoking the party’s history of revolutionary activism. SUP accused the government of transforming Liberia into a “full-fledged murderous state” under the pretext of law enforcement.

The students’ movement claimed that at least three of its members were critically injured in police custody, denouncing the actions as “state-sponsored torture” and a betrayal of the administration’s promise to rescue the country from misrule.

SUP’s statement reserved particular ire for Samuel Kofi Woods, a veteran human rights advocate now serving as National Security Advisor to President Boakai. Once celebrated as a champion of student activism, Woods was accused of betraying “revolutionary values” by allegedly remaining silent as state security forces cracked down on campus protesters.

“Under his shamefully indifferent eyes,” SUP wrote, “the Unity Party’s Inspector General is presiding over the mass murder of citizens at a rate unmatched by any previous administration in postwar Liberia.”

The group demanded the immediate dismissal of the police chief, warning Woods that failure to act would lead to his expulsion from SUP’s ranks. “History will not absolve cowards and traitors,” the statement added.