By Frederick A.B. Jayweh, Esq. B.A, LL.B, LL.M
International Affairs Director, Africa Center for Law and Human Rights, Inc.
December 24, 1989 to August 22, 2003, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey and nearly all the Urey brothers were key and major supporters of Mr. Charles G. Taylor and the National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL).
Due to the major role and advice that Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey gave to Mr. Charles G. Taylor, the NPFL and what Mr. Urey did for the fighting forces of the NPFL comprising of innocent young Liberian men and women and underage children many of whom lost their lives to distribute power and wealth to key founders and supporters of the NPFL, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey and other big guns of the NPFL landed healthy and well-meaning jobs in Liberia (1997-2005).
Counsellor Charles Walker Brumskine was handpicked and imposed on Liberia’s wartime Senate, as President Pro-Tempt of the Liberian Senate. And due to his closeness to Mr. Charles G. Taylor and the political and military command of the NPFL, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey, once a highly improvised man in his community (Careysburg District) and Liberia, was swiftly named, nominated and commissioned as Commissioner, Liberia Maritime Affairs (LMA).
As Commissioner and Chief of the LMA, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey over and beyond the demand and requirement of the Laws of Liberia, received, took and converted a large sum of Liberia’s revenues and resources to himself and Mr. Charles G. Taylor’s private and personal use and benefit and the benefit of their households and families, shamelessly. As reported by countless local and international news outlets, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey took on and played the role of transporting guns to Sierra Leone in exchange for blood diamonds mined in Sierra Leone to daily support and sustain Mr. Charles G. Taylor and NPP-led Government.
On the other hand, while Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey made himself busy trafficking big and small guns into Sierra Leone in exchange for blood diamonds for the common use and benefits of Mr. Charles G. Taylor, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine and other so-called prominent corporate lawyers wrote the Articles of Incorporation to empower Oriental Timber Company (OTC) to run through the forests of Grand Bassa, Rivercess and Sinoe Counties cutting down everything that resembles live trees to support and sustain Mr. Charles G. Taylor, his household and the political and military command of the NPFL, the murderous group of evil and depraved-minded Liberians that targeted, tortured, raped and murdered nearly 300,000 Liberians and foreign residents in the name of redemption/Save the State (24 December 1989-22August, 2003).
If anything, Mr. Charles G. Taylor in association with Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine and the NPFL depleted Liberia’s forests and destroyed Liberia than redeemed the people of Liberia (about 300,000 Liberians and residents were murdered). After the NPFL, Mr. Charles G. Taylor and his associates departed Liberia, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine and Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey, singlehandedly formed Liberty Party (LP) and the ALL Liberia Party (ALP); primarily using the illicit wealth both men amassed by cutting down all the trees the NPFL and OTC could find in the jungles of Liberia and by Mr. Urey smuggling small and big guns into Sierra Leone in exchange for blood diamonds mined in Sierra Leone.
Formally, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine and Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey formed the LP and ALP believing that they too could be elected President of Liberia. After their experiment failed, Cllr. Brumskine and Urey reached out and brought together the Liberty Party, (LP), ALL Liberia Party (ALP), the Unity Party (UP) and Alternative National Congress (ANC) purporting and designating themselves as a group of four major political parties of Liberia.
Not a surprise, the LP, ALP, UP and ANC, elected Mr. Urey (a Liberian with vast human rights violations record and known financial and economic crime perpetrator), as the Chairman of the so-called four collaborating political parties of Liberia (CPPL). Prior to running to be elected the President of Liberia, Mr. Benoni Wilfred Urey, knowingly and shamelessly looted all the cash he and Mr. Charles G. Taylor could get from Liberia Maritime Affairs (LMA) and the (OTC) and they formed the Lone Star Telecommunications Company (Lone Star).
They both jointly and collectively ran Lone Star until Mr. Charles G. Taylor was indicted, arrested and placed behind bars for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity (for a total of 50years). After Mr. Charles G. Taylor was indicted, arrested, prosecuted convicted and sentenced, Benoni Wilfred Urey happened to be and remained the sole corporate agent and owner of the Lone Star Telecommunication Company. Today having on hand all their ill-gotten riches, Benoni Wilfred Urey, Sando Johnson, Oscar Cooper, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, and other key NPFL commanders, have again regrouped and named themselves, Council of Patriots (CoP); or better still, Council of Culprit (CoC). Friday June 7, 2019, the Council of Patriots (CoP) took to the streets of Liberia and pretended to be demonstrating for democracy, the rule of law, good governance and accountability in Liberia. With their wartime riches, Benoni Wilfred Urey and their foot soldiers have planned to take to the streets of Liberia renaming them and followers, Council of Patriots set to redeem the people of Liberia, (starting 31 July, 2019). Are Sando D. Johnson, Oscar Cooper, Benoni Wilfred Urey, Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, and other key NPFL members, Liberia’s new political Christ to redeem and save the people of Liberia? Having used the NPFL to kill nearly 300,000 Liberians and foreign nationals residing in Liberia (1989-2003), are Urey and his associates, Council of Patriots or Council of Culprits?
Had it not been for the Press Statement of the Embassy of the Government of the United States of America terming the July 24, 2019 call for demonstration unrealistic and misplaced, Urey and his Partners would have caused Liberians to stay locked into their homes and without celebrating July 26, 2019. June 7, 2019, the Council of Patriots naively and prematurely chose not to present their petition to the Government of Liberia, fearing that Liberia’s Minister of Justice and Foreign Minister were not Liberia’s elected leaders, though were legally acting for the President of Liberia and so, the Council of Patriots (CoP)/Council of Culprits (CoC), refused, prematurely neglected and failed to present their petition to the Government of Liberia and the international Community having knowingly and intentionally arrested and taken to themselves the highly planned and executed demonstrations by the poor and needy people of Liberia.
Why wait for the US Embassy to condemn your action, the preconceived action of the so-called Council of Patriots? What in the world do Cllr. Charles Walker Brumskine, Wilfred Urey, Sando D. Johnson, and Oscar Cooper and other key NPFL B Gurus and big Guns want from Liberia after killing nearly 300, Liberians and residents of Liberia and financial and economic crimes (December 1989-August, 2003?
Fellow Liberians and economically challenged people of Liberia, come July 31, 2019, please go about your business and lend no demonstration and respect to the call of the Council of Culprit.
