Monrovia – Ex-rebel ‘generals’ have apologized to Liberians for the derogatory statement made during a press conference on Tuesday, April 18, 2019, when they ordered a Montserrado County lawmaker to report to their command or risk being arrested.
Report By Augustine T. Tweh-0775524647/[email protected]
The ex-rebel generals, who had earlier said that Representative Yekeh Kolubah was a member of their command and should, therefore, adhere to their demand, claimed that their statement was in good faith contrary to public perception.
The ex-rebel generals made the apology during a closed-door conference with Montserrado County Attorney, Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin, who cited them to further explain the nature of their statement.
“The county attorney invited us for the statement that we need a 72-hour ultimatum for ‘General Yekeh’ to come to us as our brother and a former general to come for us to advise him. His threats to the state and the government is wrong,” Ex-rebel general Augustine J. Nagbe alias ‘General Pa’ said on behalf of his colleagues.
“We were just calling him to advise him to refrain from these kinds of statements that’s why we called him.”
General Pa also added that the statement was not intended to harm the honorable lawmaker or create panic for the Liberian people.
“For our 72 hours ultimatum statement, if it does not go down well with the Liberian people, we are the former generals, we’ve been transformed now and doing our own businesses we say sorry to the Liberian people and we retract the statement and we don’t mean harm,” Ex-rebel General Pa added.
It can be recalled recently that the Ex-rebels held a press conference, where they ordered District# 10 lawmaker Yekeh Kolubah to appear before them in 72 hours to clarify “Harmful statements against the state and the government.”
They warned that failure on the part of Rep Kolubah to adhere to their request, they were going to forcibly bring him before them.
The statement sparked public concern, drawing ire amongst members of the international community.
But also speaking at the conference with the ex-rebels, Montserrado County Attorney Cllr. Edwin Kla Martin described their honoring of his invitation as “Adherence to the rule of law’.
Cllr. Martin also called on the Montserrado County lawmaker to do the same by coming to his office and provide clarification about his recent statements.
“Based upon the invitation that was extended to them, they came to our office to make some clarification as to the statement that was made. From all inference, they have informed my office and informed me that the statement was in no way intended to make an arrest because they do not have the authority,” Cllr Martin told reporters after the meeting with the ex-rebels.
“They were only saying as a friend and, as a citizen of this country, they have the responsibility to protect the peace but not to protect the peace unofficially but to do it officially as citizens of this country. They were honest, I must admit that I’m so touched, I’m so grateful that they were able to respond to our call. This is what we called the adherence to the rule of law.”