The Secretary General of Liberia’s main opposition party has asked the U.S. Embassy to review and temporarily suspend American assistance to the Liberia National Police (LNP), citing a pattern of alleged brutality, harassment and impunity that he says is eroding public trust and potentially misusing U.S. taxpayer resources.
In a letter dated to Chargé d’Affaires Joe Zadrozny and obtained by Oracle News Daily, Jefferson Koijee of the Congress for Democratic Change urged an “immediate review, suspension, and investigation” into how U.S. support is being used by the police under Inspector General Gregory Coleman. Koijee framed the appeal as rooted in concern that aid intended to strengthen democratic policing may instead be enabling rights abuses.
“The institution is no longer seen as a neutral enforcer of the rule of law,” Koijee wrote, accusing the LNP of selective enforcement, failure to investigate serious crimes and direct involvement in misconduct, including sexual violence and drug-related collusion. He also said recent incidents point to the police being used to intimidate and suppress political activity.
Koijee cited multiple incidents — many from 2024 and early 2025 — in which victims died in custody, were shot by police, or were allegedly tortured.
The letter references cases including the deaths of Morris Gomo and Prince Wreyou, alleged police shootings of Bangalie Kamara and Essah Massaley, and the reported stripping and mistreatment of student activists detained after a Monrovia march. Koijee also alleged an assassination attempt on Representative Saah Foko by state security actors.
The letter singles out what it describes as systemic failures of accountability: “No state prosecution” or “No state investigation” is noted beside several incidents. Koijee urged the U.S. to push for an independent, transparent inquiry into U.S. assistance to the LNP, consider a temporary suspension or conditional restructuring of support, and tie any future aid to measurable human-rights and accountability reforms.
The embassy has historically been a major international partner in Liberia’s security-sector reform, providing training and logistical support intended to professionalize the police and bolster rule of law institutions.
Analysts say Koijee’s appeal places Washington in a sensitive position: continued aid risks reputational costs if abuse allegations are credible, while an abrupt withdrawal could hamper capacity-building efforts and undercut engagement on reform.
“This is the kind of diplomatic pressure that can either prompt meaningful oversight or lead to difficult trade-offs for bilateral security cooperation,” said a Monrovia-based analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Koijee also accused senior LNP officials of undue political influence and alleged ties to drug networks, including claims that Coleman influenced the appointment of the domestic Drug Enforcement head.
Those allegations, if substantiated, would raise questions about corruption and criminal collusion at high levels of the security forces. Police authorities did not immediately comment when contacted.
The opposition figure asked that any future U.S. support be explicitly conditioned on strengthened accountability mechanisms, public reporting on assistance, and demonstrable improvements in police conduct and human rights compliance.
The letter underscores mounting domestic frustration with Liberia’s security institutions and signals an effort by opposition leaders to internationalize complaints about law enforcement behavior. It also comes amid heightened scrutiny of policing across West Africa, where donors increasingly face calls to link assistance to human rights benchmarks.
