MONROVIA – Ex-rebel general Augustine Nagbe, notoriously known as “General Power” who hails from Grand Kru County has threatened to organize members of his ethnic group to form a force that would rise in defense of President George Manneh Weah, should anyone try to attack him.
Report by Lennart Dodoo, [email protected]
He made the statement on Thursday on Prime FM, a local FM in Monrovia.
He was invited on the Prime Morning Drive to speak to some issues relating to this role in Liberia’s war, his recent involvement with the closure of Roots FM which is owned and run by Henry Costa and his involvement in the attempt to summon Montserrado County District 10 Representative Yekeh Korlubah by ex-combatants for his ‘strong’ statements against President Weah.
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.
He, meanwhile, denied ever being involved with the closure of ROOTS FM, a FM station that was very critical of the Weah-led administration. However, he was captured in a photograph being on the scene during the closure of the station.
The Daily Observer reported that General Power led a team of Liberia National Police Officers to shut down the station which they claimed was operating in violation of section 15 of the Telecommunication Act of 2007 and Chapter 11 section 11.2(d) of the criminal procedure law.
Though not a police officer or a court sheriff, he was also reported to have been involved with the removal of equipment belonging to the station from the building.
He was further quoted by the Daily Observer for saying Henry P. Costa, manager of Roots F.M. cannot keep using the station to incite citizens against the government, while operating illegally.
Speaking to Rep. Kolubah’s issue, General Power said Rep. Yekeh being an ex-combatant was being summoned by him and other ex-combatants to provide them explanations for his utterances against the President.
“If you pose threat to this country, militia would come back to being,” he said.
“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.”
– Augustine Nagbe, aka General Power
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”.