Monrovia – Liberians have now come to the realization that indeed Mr. Henry Pedro Costa and accomplices did escape via an illegal entry point into neighboring Sierra Leone as he himself explained how he was able to pull off a daring escape right under 24/7 surveillance.
Costa, the Council of Patriots’ Chairman, is/was one of the most-watched Liberians, continually under the security apparatus radar.
It seems, however, that the Liberian security apparatus need to fine-tune their radar as Costa, who is inarguably the fiercest critic of President George Manneh Weah and his government, narrate how simple it might have been for him to drive out of three counties—Montserrado, Bomi and Grand Cape Mount— until he crossed the Mano River and entered neighboring Sierra Leone.
Costa even let out one key town on the Sierra Leonean side that could aid the Liberian security to trace his route(s).
Speaking Saturday, January 18, at a thanksgiving program, organized by a group of his US-based supporters, to thank God for his escape, Costa narrated that even though one can be very stubborn but there comes a time when one will have to listen to the pieces of advice from other people. He also urged his supporters to look at him as being human and that he has fear, equally as ordinary men do.
“Let nobody fool you that ain’t got no fear in me. Every human being has fear in them. Even David had fear, Moses had fear, and baby Jesus had to escape. So who am I? Nelson Mandela ran away and went to Zimbabwe; he went to Liberia and got a Liberian passport. So, who am I? Ain’t want be no dead hero,” Costa narrated as he went further to recount some of the past escapes other prominent Liberians, include President Weah, did to preserve their lives.
“Ellen ran away from Doe; George Weah ran away from Taylor, so then Henry Costa ran away from George Weah. The issue here is that I didn’t want to leave. Sometime we can be stubborn but we have to listen to people, too. Than you start seeing ex-rebel generals hanging around your house. I was forced to leave. I left my house, without any of my body guards, in a smaller car that is tainted, too. I just told my body guards that I was going somewhere and that I would be back. I didn’t bring any suitcase; I just took my back pad. I went to Brewerville and waited until it got dark. Everybody knows Costa, I couldn’t run in the day. I still had to trust people. Even the most careful person has to still trust people. We passed three checkpoints and we were just waved through at each of them. We got to the crossing point by 12:45 a.m. It was my first time to get in canoe. I said Lord, this dark water. It’s amazing, right across the water, it’s Sierra Leone, the people there are speaking completely different language. The canoe came we crossed the water. People were waiting there for me on motor bikes. Everything was well properly arranged. We got on them and after 15 minutes, we reached the car was parked there waiting,” the COP Chairman narrates his ordeal.
“Let nobody fool you that ain’t got no fear in me. Every human being has fear in them. Even David had fear, Moses had fear, and baby Jesus had to escape. So who am I? Nelson Mandela ran away and went to Zimbabwe; he went to Liberia and got a Liberian passport. So, who am I? Ain’t want be no dead hero,” Costa narrated as he went further to recount some of the past escapes other prominent Liberians, include President Weah, did to preserve their lives.”
– Henry P. Costa, Chairman, Council of Patriots
Costa explained that they drove seven hours from Zimmi all the way to Lungi and rested at a guesthouse before beginning the next day to make ticket arrangements to fly out of Sierra Leone.
He further stated that the flight he had booked was scheduled to leave by 1:55a.m. so he went to do check-in by 11:0-clock.
Costa, who was very grateful to God, began by telling his audience how in the Bible God chose some leaders, including David, Moses and in the 1960s how the Civil Right Activist Martin Luther King Jr. fought for the struggle of black people in the US. Costa stressed that he is no special person among other Liberians but that at some point someone has just got to stand.
“Folks, ain’t no David; ain’t no Moses; ain’t no Martin Luther King Jr. I have fallen; I have picked myself up. I am going through a total transformation. You know sometimes, some people think that certain things will make one’s head big, they don’t make my head big. I am the same Henry Costa, I do the same thing, whether I am dealing with one person or 1000 persons, I am just me,” he said.
He again informed his fellow Liberians, as he has always done when he gets on air that Liberia is in trouble under the present leadership of Pres. Weah.
Watch the video to hear Costa explain his escape from Liberia and the other unfolding dramas that news both in the FrontPageAfrica and other international media. He started speaking around the 42nd minute of the video.