A Letter to His Excellency President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr.

By Sidiki Fofana | Truth in Ink

Your Excellency,

I extend my respectful compliments and convey warm greetings on behalf of fellow citizens who remain concerned about the prevalence of drug spread and use in our country. Of the many things I disagree with you on, I must, however, say I was encouraged by your determination to confront the menace of illicit drugs in Liberia. From your decision to undergo a voluntary drug test upon assuming office to your more recent policies aimed at holding landlords accountable for premises used in drug trafficking, you have elevated national consciousness on this grave matter. Moreover, your actions to replace and remove non-performing heads of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency are a clear sign that the fight against drugs cannot be a matter of business as usual. 

However, despite these well-intentioned steps, the problem persists. The devastation caused by narcotics continues to rob Liberia of its youth, weaken communities, and erode our nation’s reputation abroad. The Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), tasked with leading this fight, has witnessed three or four changes of leadership under your administration alone. Allegations of collusion, incompetence, and even facilitation of cartel operations within the agency have undermined its credibility. As a result, both the morale of its rank-and-file and the confidence of the public stand at an all-time low.

We are now convinced that simply replacing the heads of the LDEA is no longer sufficient. The crisis has become systemic, and the institution itself requires a complete overhaul.

Your Excellency, we respectfully recommend that responsibility for leading the fight against drugs be temporarily transferred to the Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL), in collaboration with the National Security Agency (NSA), for a period of one year. At the same time, the LDEA undergoes comprehensive restructuring, re-vetting, and reform from top to bottom.

Both the AFL and NSA remain among our most disciplined and credible institutions. Their training, intelligence capabilities, and record of professionalism equip them to confront robust drug networks that thrive on institutional weakness and corruption.

Your Excellency’s authority to act rests on a firm legal foundation:

A. Article 50 of the Constitution vests executive power in the President as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Liberia.

B. Article 54(d) empowers the President to appoint and command military officers.

C. Article 86(b) authorizes extraordinary measures to protect public safety in times of grave national threat.

D. The National Defense Act of 2008 allows the AFL to support civil authorities in emergencies and matters of national security.

E. The NSA Act of 1974 empowers the National Security Agency to gather intelligence and counter threats to Liberia’s stability, including transnational crime and narcotics.

Mr. President, allow me to inform you that International precedents exist; Liberia will not be the first or only country to take sure measures: 

1. In Mexico, the armed forces were deployed when cartels compromised police forces.
2. In Colombia, the military and intelligence services played a decisive role in dismantling major cartels, including Medellín and Cali.
3. In Sierra Leone, the armed forces assumed law enforcement functions temporarily after the war until civilian agencies were reformed.
4. In the Philippines, the military was integrated into anti-drug operations alongside the police when institutional weaknesses were exposed.

These examples demonstrate that when law enforcement agencies lose credibility, it is both lawful and necessary for the state to rely on its military and intelligence institutions to safeguard public order.

Your Excellency, Liberia stands at a defining moment. By assigning this fight to the AFL and NSA while reforming the LDEA from the ground up, your administration can both restore confidence and reclaim a generation from the grip of drugs.

As you did with our previous recommendations against this national evil, we trust that you will again give this proposal your most serious consideration. In further support, we have attached a draft Executive Order that may serve as a legal and operational instrument for immediate implementation.

Please accept, Mr. President, the assurances of our highest consideration and our continued prayers for wisdom and strength as you lead our Republic.