MONROVIA – Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee at the House of Representatives and a Grand Kru lawmaker has condemned Mr. Augustine Nagbe, aka General Power’s threat to form a militia group dubbed, “Kru Defense Force” for the protection of President George Weah and the Kru people.
General Power made the pronouncement last Thursday in an interview with Kelvin Demey of Prime FM in Monrovia.
According to him, he is a proud Kru man and would be ever ready to use his military training for the defense of the Kru people. He also pledged to defend the President, though he has no employment in the government.
“I’m a Kru warrior, I’m the warrior for the Kru people – I don’t care how anybody takes it. We’re in Liberia but I’ll always defend my Kru people, trust me. Today, we’ve got a Kru man in power, but I don’t have power, I will not talk to him anyhow, when the time comes, he’ll bring me to government. He’s the Commander-in-Chief of the Republic of Liberia, I’ll defend him and if anybody tries to molest him, the way they had Lofa defense force, you’ll see the Kru defense force,” he said.
However, the Grand Kru Lawmaker who believes General Power’s comment is out of placed warned against urban militarism.
Rep. Koffa said, “I feel compelled in no uncertain terms to condemn my kinsman whose nom de guerre is General Power and urge him to cease and desist from talks of urban militarism. Similarly, I condemn all those engaged in incendiary rhetoric in the name of free speech. The Liberian state and people have endured much. Our common challenges must be faced with clasped hands one to another, not clutched fists.” Cllr. Koffa.
Cllr. Koffa is the first official of government rebuking General Power’s comments, however, the ex-combatant was strongly condemned during the phone-in section of the talk show, with many expressing their disgust for his boastfulness of his involvement with the war.
Strong Reaction
Callers did not spare General Power, especially his formation of Kru Defense Force. One Cooper Passawe who called in to react to guest in studio said, “I listened to Power and I want to send this caveat to Power, never in your whole life talk about tribal issues, you can’t defend the President more than any Liberian here, so your Kru issue, keep it to yourself because when you get to the public talking about tribal things, it causes serious problem for the country.
Passawe continued: “The war you fought, the pregnant women who you guys tore their stomachs and took out babies and ate, and y’all ate human hearts, is the same thing you guys are still carrying around on your minds. We’re Liberians, we are not discussing anything about tribal issues.”
Kelvin Bomah, another caller told General Power that the power he had during the civil war is irrelevant to the current dispensation in which Liberia is enjoying peace and moving forward. “Now, we should be talking about development, we’re thinking about democracy and how best we the youth can build this country and not be hearing one General Power on the radio talking about protecting the President,” he said.
For Emmanuel Saah, he said, “Liberia is the only country you see ex-rebel leader, people who massacre peaceful people to be masquerading and boasting on a talk show. I don’t know where we are heading, under this government, you can see people having press conference boasting that they killed people”.