Monrovia – The Youth Wing Chairman of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), Jefferson T. Koijee, says he has been taken aback by the publication linking him to the made-up story on the assassination plot of political leader of the CDC, Senator George Weah.
According to Koijee, the Friday, September 15, 2017 Daily Observer Newspaper story linking him to crafting a fabricated story on some individuals plotting to assassinate Senator Weah is false and the source which is quoted in the story cannot be proven.
The Daily Observer in its weekend publication with headline: Police-“Koijee Faked Weah Assassination Plot” reported that, authorities at the Liberia National Police (LNP) in a recent investigation into the alleged attempt to assassinate CDC standard bearer Senator George, unearthed that, Jefferson Koijee, who is the youth wing chairman of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC), “concocted and tailored the assassination story to win the hearts of partisans.”
Quoting the documented LNP’s report, the paper revealed that, Koijee and another CDC executive, Sheik Sackor, denied the allegation when they appeared before the LNP investigative panel.
But reacting to the paper’s publication, Koijee described the story as misleading and a calculated attempt to sway away the public attention from the real situation.
He described as “fake” the source of the story, claiming that it was not the original police report the story was taken from as referenced.
“This is the original police report,” Koijee displayed a copy of the document to the media during a press briefing over the weekend.
“I see this as a personal attack against me and an attempt to make me look ugly in the public glare but this will not go unnoticed.”
Koijee then promised to take the issue at the level of the court so as to ascertain reasons behind the paper ‘wrongful publication.’
Police Commissioner for Press and Public Affairs, Sam Collins, also told Capital FM in Monrovia that the police investigation into the matter did not in any way link Koijee and that the Daily Observer’s publication was false.
It can be recalled on August 23, when Weh, Barry, and Sesay, believed to be members of the CDC, during a press conference held at the party’s Congo Town headquarters, alleged that their services were hired by George B. Kailando, a businessman and Unity Party national chairman for mobilization, and Saye-Maye Cole, the party’s Montserrado County’s campaign chairman, to disrupt and cause pandemonium during the CDC rally on August 19 to assassinate Senator Weah.
The report claimed that Kailando told them not to be afraid of anything because there were bigger hands like Vice President Joseph N. Boakai and Defense Minister Brownie Samukai behind the assassination plot, and they would protect them.
The document claimed that during the evening hours, including the night of the rally, Koijee called Barry, and when he did not pick-up his phone, he contacted Sesay, who answered his call. When Sesay realized that the caller was Koijee, he immediately informed Barry that it was Koijee on the line.
“Due to the persistent calls from Koijee and Sackor, they told Barry and Sesay that they were looking for a stolen phone belonging to one big man of the Unity party,” the report quoted Barry and Sesay’s testimonies.
“The manner of which Koijee and Sackor were calling us,” the report quoted the two defendants, “made us afraid, so Barry responded to Sackor that they were no longer going to meet with Koijee because they wanted to kill them.”
On the issue of Kailando and Cole meeting with Weh, Barry, and Sesay, the report quoted Emmanuel Dahn, UP Montserrado County District#7 representative candidate, alleging that Dahn met with the defendants in early August.
During their meeting, Dahn requested Barry, Sesay, and Weh to help mobilize voters who will vote him into office, because, they (defendants) were very popular in District#7.
After that, Dahn introduced the defendants to Cole, and they discussed the mobilization plan beyond District#7. Later Cole and Dahn allegedly introduced Barry, Sesay, and Weh to Kailando.
During the meeting with Kailando, he gave them 100 pieces of T-shirts on August 18 to distribute to the partisans they were going to mobilize. The meeting was held at Kailando’s Hotel on the Old Road, outside Monrovia.
“But, at that meeting, nothing was discussed relative to Vice President Boakai, Defense Minister Samukai neither Weah,” the report said.
“Barry, Sesay, and Weh did not report the alleged plot of the assassination to any law enforcement agency, neither did they report same to the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL),” the document stated.