PHOTO: Dumoe in handcuff as Court Sheriff conducts the search
By Garmah Never Lomo,garmahlomo@gmail.com
The Acting Chairman of the Council of Patriot (COP, Menipakei Dumoe was on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 arrested and his home searched by Court officer along with state security officer.
One of the things they were searching for was arms but they found none. Police Spokesman Moses Carter said although no arms were found, they found other things of interest, in a radio interview. But what those things of interest he didn’t say.
The COP Chairman’s recent Facebook post said: “We Don’t Need Free Bags of Rice. I say we the poor in Monrovia Need AK-47s, so our Leaders Can take US seriously.”
When asked by someone replying to this Facebook post whether he really meant AK-47, Dumoe was emphatic that he literally meant AK-47.
AK-47s were widely used during Liberia’s 14 years of civil war in the 1990s.
This latest episode will sure trigger a big debate amongst free speech advocates and those on the other side as to where to draw the line.
Based upon this post, COP leader Menipakei Dumoe was invited at the police headquarters today May 12, 2020 under the pretense of having meeting along with his lawyer, Cllr. Findley Kangar.
But what should have been a meeting turned out to be the arrest of the Liberian political activist and former Hott FM radio’s talk show host few years ago.
Cllr. Karnga condemned the action of the heavily armed police to arrest his client, terming the police action as “uncivilized” and a betrayal to him (the Lawyer).
After being arrested, his home was later searched by Court officer and other security apparatus for weapon, in the absence of his Lawyer.
It is not so far clear as to whether or not the Court issued search and seizure warrant on the accused, or who signed for it.
Or whether his home was searched on the order of government officials from the Ministry of Justice is also yet to be known.
Lawyer representing Mr. Dumoe, Cllr. Kangar said he was disappointed in the government through the Liberia National Police in the manner in which his client was allegedly treated.
Some citizens are wondering why people should be arrested for expressing their view when several government officials, including Jefferson Koijee, who said last year that whenever COP announce protest, they will also announce their own on the same day of the COP and that they will meet in flesh and blood but Mayor Koijee was arrested for said statement.
At the same time, armed police have stopped the live coverage of the search of Mr. Dumoe’s home Tuesday afternoon and seized the phone of the Desk Editor of FrontpageAfrica, Mr. Lennart Dodoo.
Mr. Dodoo told the local OK FM that after being allowed into Mr. Dumoe’s compound and doing live Facebook coverage of the search for some 45 minutes, he was order to hand over his phone, something he willingly did.
But due to the intervention of officials of the Press Union of Liberia, his phone was later returned to him.