Monrovia – Ex-soldiers, disbanded security officers and the widows of their fallen counterparts are once again beating war drums in demand of their severance benefit – this time with a very stern warning that the government would seriously regret their action if it fails to meet their demand.
Report by Edwin G. Genoway, Jr – [email protected]
But the Ministry of Defense insists it has paid all the benefits owed the disbanded soldiers and that there is an existing commitment between the Ministry and various beneficiaries that the government is no longer indebted to them. FrontPageAfrica was given copies of the commitments.
As if they are totally unaware of this bond, the ex-soldiers headed by Wolo Nagbe in a press conference threatened looting stores and used car centers, if the government fails to settle their ‘financial obligations’ to them.
“We are saying this for the last time; I might not have the opportunity again to say it anywhere, we are asking the international community, the Council of Churches, the Muslim Council to include the Catholic Church Bishop, the business people who have their businesses all over this place, you see their used cars all around this place are not protected, you go to the store you see their storerooms are not well protected, for fear that if anything goes wrong here, they will be looted and they should not blame us.
We’ve been asking for our money. We’re asking everyone to prevail on the Commander-in-Chief of Liberia to pay us our money” – Lt. Col. Wolo Nagbe, Spokesperson, Disbanded AFL
“We are saying this for the last time; I might not have the opportunity again to say it anywhere, we are asking the international community, the Council of Churches, the Muslim Council to include the Catholic Church Bishop, the business people who have their businesses all over this place.
You see their used cars all around this place are not protected, you go to the store you see their storerooms are not well protected, for fear that if anything goes wrong here, they will be looted and they should not blame us.
We’ve been asking for our money. We’re asking everyone to prevail on the Commander-in-Chief of Liberia to pay us our money,” he warned.
Being weary of holding press conferences to call on the government to settle them, Nagbe noted that the the government was taking them for a ride and not heeding to their demand.
“You are taking us for a ride; we are soldiers, we fear nothing but to do wrong and I can say to each and every one of you that we did no wrong to this government, they are owing us our just benefit,” he added.
Speaking earlier, ex Anti-Terrorist Unit (ATU) General Simeon B. Mayson also warned the government to stop pushing ex-soldiers against the wall and pay what due them.
Mayson threatened that ex ATU soldiers are always willing to at all times take the streets if the government refuses to pay their money.
“We were established by laws of Liberia and we are all ex-soldiers that need benefit like the others. So we are with the AFL soldiers as well, we are willing to put our men out whenever the need arises,” he noted.
Widows of fallen soldiers who joined the call also threatened to stage a nude protest in the streets of Monrovia if the government does not harken to their call.
“We’retire asking this government for our money and we are tired, but this time around we will not stop, but to join our ex-soldiers on the streets to demand government for our money. We are going to take off our clothes and be in G-strings and expect President Sirleaf to do the same,” she threatened.
In an exclusive interview with FrontPageAfrica, Defense Minister, Brownie Samukai, said Government has paid up to US$20 million in severance to the ex-soldiers and widows of fallen soldiers.
“The government has paid nearly US$20 million in all to former members of the Armed Forces of Liberia and all of those who have been working very hard to resolve this matter.
This is in excess of the 1956 defense act which did not prescribe anything either than upon retirement, you’re given three months’ pay, they put your things in the vehicle and they deliver you back to where you came from.
There was nothing stipulated anywhere in the provisions of this act for the government to do anything. Nevertheless, the government undertook to do that,” Min. Samukai said.
According to him, the government paid 20 months for officers’ salaries, 21 months for non-commissioned officers.
Mr. Samukai bragged that the government also increased their pension and also provided golden handshake.
“We have the receipts of all of the documentations to show all the amount of money the government has paid,” Mr. Samukai added.
Documents in the possession of FrontPageAfrica show commitments signed by the former soldiers and widows of deceased soldiers that they’ve been fully settled and that the government was not indebted to them.
Col. Nagbe, the man leading the campaign for the ex-soldiers, according to the documents, on Thursday, September 16, 2010, signed for US$6,500 as severance benefits.
Upon receiving the payment, Col Nagbe made a commitment that the government of Liberia no longer owes him.
The commitment reads as follows: “I Rt. Col. WoloNagbe received the full sum of US$6,500.00 (six thousand five Hundred Dollars and zero cents) from the government of Liberia, thru the Ministry of National Defense for services rendered in maintaining peace and stability, as well as exercising the appropriate leadership over the former AFL personnel, in so doing, the GoL has further obligations in this regard.”
Rt. General Kpenkpah Y. Konah, former Chief of Staff of the AFL, received US$1,100.00; Rt. Major Sandee S. Ware, got US$1,100.00; Rt. Major Larry T. K. Jallah received US$6,000.00; Rt. Major Emmanuel H. Seton received US$600,000.00.
Rt. Major Anthony B. Jarvee received US$6,000.00, Rt. Col. Isaac Quawah, got US$6,200.00; Rt. Col. Ivan V. Paye received US$6,200.00; Rt. LTC. Richard B. Boye – US$1,100.00; Rt. LTG. Henry Dubar– US$1,100.00; Rt. LTC Wilie B. Dixon received US$6,100; Rt. LTC Augustine Nagbe received US$6,100.00, while Rt. Cpt. Jerry Kollie got US$5,000.00.
Other disbanded AFL soldiers who received severance benefits include, Rt. Cpt. Robert Payxine, US$5,500.00, Rt. Cpt. Nathaniel G. Sumo, US$5,500.00, Rt. Cpt. William P. Anderson received US$5,000.00, Rt. 1st Lt. BoimaKamara, got US$3,500.00, Rt. 1st Lt. Berry Zamie received US$3,500.00, Rt. 1st Lt. Massa Peter received 3,500.00 and Rt. 1st Lt. Thelma Kennedy received US$ 3,500.
Payments were also made to the widows. A lump sum amount of US$58,000 signed for by Esther Myers, spokesperson of the widows on behalf of the group, according to documents in the FrontPageAfrica’s possession.
She received a second payment on August 21, 2007, of US$13,000 and a third payment of US$5,000 on August 23, 2007. She later signed for US$20,000 on the same day she received additional two separate payments of US$20,000.00 on the same day on behalf of the widows.
All of the payments were made at Liberia Bank for Development and Investment (LBDI). The General Manager of the LBDI, Madam Gloria Menjor confirmed payments made to ex-soldiers and AFL widows in 2010.
She told FrontPageAfrica via mobile that the bank did payment to disbanded soldiers of the AFL years back.
Madam Menjor on June 18, 2014, wrote a communication to Defense Minister Brownie Samukai informing the Minister about payment being made to AFL widows through the account titled, Concern Widows of AFL 002LRD40815364301, Concern Widows of AFL 002USD40815364302 and Concern Widows Children of LIB 002USD21815364303.
The planned nude demonstration to be staged by the widows has not gained the approval of all the women.
One of such is Martha Pajibo who believes such threats do not augur well for the country’s peace.
She said she is aware that Madam Myers has been signing for money on behalf of the group, but she (Pajibo) has not received a dime from Myers.
“I been hearing that she has been signing for money for us, but she has not given me five cents. Some of us will not get on the street to demonstrate because we never got money, we believe in the peace that we enjoying now,” she asserted.
The wife of the former AFL Chief-of-Staff J. Hezekiah Bowen confirmed to FrontPageAfrica that she has been receiving benefits for her husband.
Madam Marie Bowen said since her husband died, she received benefits for a couple of months.
“Yes I got benefits for my husband, but it is no longer coming on time. I will not lie to you my son, I used to get it oh; but this time I no longer receive it from the Ministry of Defense,” she said.
The former chief of staff of the AFL, J Hezekiah Bowen died in 2011 after he was retired from the army.
The disbanded AFL soldiers’ threats have claimed the attention of several Liberians including business owners in Liberia as well as the Council of Churches.
The Secretary General of the Liberia Council of Churches, Rev. Kortu Brown said it is no time to threaten the peace of Liberia.
He said in a statement that for so long Liberia has been in civil unrest and no one has the right to threaten the peace that Liberia enjoys.
Human right lawyer Cllr. TiawonGongloe frowned on disbanded AFL soldiers for issuing threats in demand of severance.
He advised that the ex-soldiers should go on the table with government and dialogue if they have any claim.
The business community is not also happy with threats being issued by the ex-soldiers of the AFL.
Muhammad Fawaz, an owner of a local store in Waterside described the AFL threat as worrisome.
“I am not prepared to lose again because many times my stores were looted by unlawful individuals.”
“I think the threats being made by those guys need to be looked into and bring them to book for threatening the peace,” he explained.
Another businesswoman in Waterside said, “We are waiting for them since they want to loot. Gone are those days when some foolish people will wake up in the morning and start to threaten people in the name of demonstration.
This time around, we ourselves will be prepared for them.
Anything they will be using to demonstrate, I will use that same thing to protect my business, whether it is knife, cutlass or any other weapon; I’m prepared,” she said in anger.