By By: The People News
Monrovia, Liberia — The Unity Party has put the opposition on the defense over this week’s major drug bust in the VOA Community, with Margibi County Senator Nathaniel F. McGill and former CDC Secretary General Eugene Nagbe issuing separate clarifications after accusations linked their political bloc to the operation.
In a July 21 release, the Unity Party applauded the Liberia National Police and Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency for seizing what it called an “unprecedented amount” of suspected narcotics and arresting a Colombian and Spanish national. The party statement placed the raid “at a property located near the residence of Margibi County Senator Nathaniel McGill,” and framed it as proof the UP-led government is “methodically break apart the drug trafficking network” that took root under the previous administration. The party also urged residents to remain vigilant and reaffirmed support for the security sector.[ing]
The Office of Senator McGill responded Tuesday with a categorical rejection, citing the LNP’s own live broadcast of the operation. According to the senator’s statement, the suspected narcotics were discovered in the VOA Community along the Roberts International Airport Highway, but not near his residence. The office argued that several other senior officials also live in the broader VOA Community, including President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s National Security Advisor, Attorney Samuel Kofi Woods II, and Liberia Maritime Authority Commissioner Neto Zarzar Lighe Sr. “If merely residing in the same community creates an association with criminal activity, then does that same reasoning also apply to” those officials, the statement asked.
Senator McGill’s office accused the Unity Party of injecting the name of a leading opposition figure into a security matter “with which he has absolutely no connection,” calling it an attempt to exploit a national security issue for partisan gain. The senator, who also serves in a government advisory capacity, said he supports lawful efforts to combat drug trafficking and that security operations “must remain professional, impartial, and free from political interference.” The office demanded an immediate retraction and public correction from the Unity Party.
The exchange highlights the sensitivity of Liberia’s anti-narcotics fight, coming weeks after another multi-million dollar seizure at Roberts International Airport. Both sides say they back the Joint Security, but disagree sharply on how information about the operations should be communicated. The Unity Party has not responded to the call for a retraction. Security authorities have not released a final inventory or confirmed the street value of the Duazon/VOA seizure, saying forensic analysis is ongoing.
