Kakata, Margibi County — Mr. Yawah Y. Jaivey, FrontPageAfrica’s Margibi County correspondent, has gone into hiding following threats to his life.
Just last week, Jaivey wrote an article on a leaked audio in which Margibi County Health Officer (CHO), Dr. Augustine Nyankun Fannieh and some senior staff were discussing their involvement in financial corruption surrounding fraudulent billings and collection of kickbacks from vendors.
In response to the story, the United States Embassy in Monrovia commended FrontPageAfrica and expressed concern over the stealing of American taxpayers’ money intended to support health initiatives in the county.
The US Embassy in a statement said: “The United States Mission to Liberia expresses serious concerns about the report in the February 2, 2023 edition of Frontpage Africa Newspaper regarding the misuse of funds provided by the United States Government to support health care for the people of Margibi County. We have a special responsibility to ensure that money provided by United States taxpayers for the benefit of the people of Liberia, including the people of Margibi, is used for its intended purpose. We commend the investigative journalism that brought this story to light and appreciate the swift action by the Ministry of Health to make immediate changes while investigating the matter. The USAID Mission to Liberia will decide whether to retain Margibi as part of USAID’s government-to-government agreement pending a transparent investigation and associated actions to hold accountable anyone involved in the misuse of any U.S. government funds.”
Following the publication, the Minister of Health, Dr. Wilhemina Jallah, announced the recall of all members of the Margibi Health Team who were implicated in the leaked audio. According to Dr. Jallah, those implicated have been turned over the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) for further investigation and possible prosecution.
Journalist Jaivey has alarmed that he fears for his life after some strange men riding a white Toyota SUV with the Ministry of Health inscriptions suspiciously passed around his home during the late evening hours (February 9, 2023) with one of the them pointing his fingers at his residence.
“I am being engulfed with fears with their suspicious movement around my home. This has caused me to take my family away and we are now in hiding and living in fear”, he said.
The FrontPage Africa reporter expressed the belief that he should not be hunted simply because he is doing his work as a journalist, especially exposing systematic corruption surrounding American taxpayers’ money intended to support essential health services to the people of Margibi.
“I am only a detractor of corruption, and I think they are only after me because they think that I have additional leaked audio on them that could further expose their involvement in financial impropriety”, he noted.
He disclosed that he has since notified the Liberia National Police, FrontPage Africa, and the Press Union of Liberia through its local coordinator in the county.