By Reporter Garmah Never Lomo
CAPITOL HILL, Monrovia- The headquarters of the Liberia National Police (LNP) on Wednesday, January 8, 2020 turned into a theatre of fierce exchange of the “F” word insults between a controversial Liberian opposition Lawmaker, Yekeh Kolubah and the police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue.
Both men were in the police years ago, as the former security-turned politician, Yekeh Kolubah served both in the now disbanded NPFL of Charles Ghankay Taylor and his later notorious SOD police force in the late 1990s and early 2000.
Mr. Kolubah, who is Montserrado County District # 10 Representative, was reporting himself to the police in the wake of the alleged discovery of a gun in his vehicle and he was being accompanied by officials of the Inter Religious Council of Liberia led by Bishop Kortu Brown.
No sooner did the Lawmaker arrive, a heated confusion erupt between him and the police over the issue of mobile phone.
Police asked everyone (including the clergy and Journalists) to turn in their phones before entering the offices of the Police Inspector General, but Rep. Kolubah strongly objected to the measure.
As IG Sudue threatened to drag Rep Yekeh Kolubah out of his office after the Lawmaker had refused to comply with the phone measure, a barrage of insults began to fly between the two senior Liberian officials.
Rep. Yekeh’s Kolubah said he had gone to sign for his vehicle taken at the police station during the Monday, January 6,2020 anti-government protest staged by Kolubah’s Council of Patriots (COP) against what they say are bad governance practices by the CDC government led by President George Weah.
When the instruction was given to the Montserrado County District#10 Rep. to send his cell phones out of the police conference room, he (Rep Kolubah) said he doesn’t trust the police. And therefore, he can’t send his phones outside for security reasons.
But IG Sudue told the Representative that there is a notice at the door of his office that no cell phones are allowed.
That statement apparently enraged Rep. Kolubah, prompting IG Sudue to say he “will not take any f…shit” from him (Yekeh Kolubah. And in fact IG Sudue further added that the District #10 Lawmaker cannot disrespect in his office and go free.
Rep Yekeh Kolubah, after refusing to send his phones out of his conference room, told IG Sudue that if he is disrespected by any official of government, he will insult their President, George Weah. Then Kolubah repeated the same vulgar expression used earlier by the National Police chief. “Can you drag George Weah?” Rep. Kolubah angrily asked.
And he then referred to the police IG Sudue as “stupid”, something that further inflame the row, triggering fierce exchange of insults both inside and outside the office at the police HQ.
The Montserrado County District #10 Lawmaker also told other police officers who were in meeting that they have been compromised and buried.
He told the Inter Religious Council President Bishop Brown that they have been compromised and paid by President Weah.
“I will disrespect the President if any senior government officials insult me,” Rep. Kolubah repeated.
Lawmaker Kolubah mission to the LNP headquarters follows police claimed on Monday that gun was discovered in the official vehicle of Rep. Kolubah towards the chaotic end of the January 6, 2020 anti government protest led by the Council of Patriots (COP) of which the Montserrado County Lawmaker is a top executive.
Rep. Kolubah and the COP have since rubbished the police claim, as the vehicle in question had earlier been thoroughly searched in the presence of Journalist and given clearance by the police.
The confusion got more intense when the Police Inspector General, Patrick Sudue was heard threatening to drag the controversial Lawmaker out of his office, if he didn’t behave himself.