Mob Reportedly Barricade Radio Station In Zwedru

By Our Staff Writer

Latest reports from the southeastern Grand Gedeh County say people said to be acting on orders of the Superintendent shut down the local community Radio, Smile FM in Zwedru by 3 Am GMT this morning, Thursday, September 12, 2024.

In a message to this news outlet, Smile FM’s Manager, Solo Lewis said his station “is under attack”.

Station Manager Lewis said the mob that barricaded the station have been making “threatening remarks to the station’s staffers which has caused them to flee the radio fearing for their lives.”

Details are still coming in on the latest situation.

After the station was shut down, loyalists of the County’s Superintendent and staffers from Superintendent Alex Grant’s office have barricaded the stations building, something www.newspublictrust.com is yet to independently verified.

The latest reported action of the Grand Gedeh County authorities comes several days after the Association of Community Radio of Liberia (ALICOR) raised “serious concerns over the recent actions of Grand Gedeh County Superintendent Alex Grant, who has unilaterally dissolved the board of Smile FM and appointed his own chairperson”, Another County Superintendent Illegally Dissolves Another Community Radio Board – News Public Trust

According to ALICOR’s recent press release, such act “is a violation of the independence and integrity of community radio stations, which serve as vital platforms for public discourse.”

 (L-R) Alicor logo and Superintendent Alex Grant and former Grand Gedeh Representative 

ALICOR expressed its dismay over Superintendent Grant’s interference, particularly in light of his recent participation in the Local Government Conference held in Ganta.