-But…
The Liberia National Police has formally charged Mulbah K. Morlu, Chairman of the pressure group Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), and Rev. Festus R. B. Logan, the group’s Deputy Chairman, with criminal solicitation, criminal conspiracy, rioting, failure to disperse, disorderly conduct, and obstructing highways and other public passages, stemming from what the Police described as “violent protest” staged under the name and style “LEAD OR LEAVE! (Enough Is Enough)” on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
In its charge sheet, police allege that Morlu and Logan, described as “ring-leader and co-ring leader,” “knowingly and intentionally assembled, sat, and congregated on major public streets within the vicinities of the University of Liberia, the Capitol Building, and the Executive Mansion, thereby obstructing vehicular and pedestrian movement and creating public inconvenience, annoyance, and terror.” The police further state that the defendants “refused lawful orders to disperse and incited disorderly and riotous behavior,” actions which allegedly culminated in injuries to civilians, damage to government vehicles, and the forcible taking of personal property.
According to investigators, the protest—announced months earlier by Morlu—began peacefully in Congo Town under police escort but escalated when demonstrators blocked major roadways and demanded to remain in place until President Joseph Nyuma Boakai personally received their petition.
The Police said Morlu “sat in the middle of the street” while Logan and other protestors surrounded him, prompting security officers to lawfully request that the group vacate the roadway, a request authorities say was openly resisted.
The charge sheet states that following police intervention, several protestors were arrested while Morlu, Logan, and others fled toward Jallah’s Town, where the protest allegedly devolved into violent acts. Police allege that while in Jallah’s Town, the defendants and their accomplices “acted in a disorganized and disorderly manner, throwing stones and other objects, attacking citizens, damaging vehicles, and forcibly taking personal properties.”
Among the victims named in the charge is Mercy L. Cooper, an employee of the Financial Intelligence Agency (FIA), who told police she was attacked while on official duty. In her statement, Cooper recounted that protestors surrounded the FIA vehicle she was traveling in and shouted that it was a government car. “They started throwing stones at the vehicle, broke the windshield, pulled me out, injured my right hand and leg, and took my bag containing my passport, identification cards, phones, and money,” she stated.
Another FIA staff member, Victor Togba Jr., told investigators that he saw protestors point at the FIA vehicle and shout that it should be attacked. “The group busted the front and back windshields and took my phone while attacking us,” he said in his statement to police.
The charge further references an attack on a vehicle belonging to the National Food Assistance Agency (NFAA). Gayflor F. Zayzay, an NFAA operator, alleged that protestors armed with rocks and scissors attempted to stab him and smashed the vehicle’s windows. His supervisor, NFAA Director General Borkai A. M. Sirleaf, told police that protestors “tried to pull me out of the vehicle, tore my shirt, and wounded me on my right hand with stones.”
Police say multiple victims and a witness, Saywon Wulah, identified Morlu among the protestors during the incidents in Jallah’s Town, despite the defendants’ denial of involvement. The charge sheet asserts that the defendants’ actions “created a serious risk to public safety and resulted in the obstruction of highways, injury to peaceful citizens, and destruction of public and private property.”
Based on these findings, police concluded that there is probable cause to believe that Morlu and Logan committed the offenses charged, all in violation of Liberia’s Revised Penal Law, and have forwarded the matter for court trial. “Others to be identified are charged in absentia pending arrest,” the charge sheet states.
The case is now before the court, where the defendants are expected to answer to the charges as Liberia once again confronts the delicate balance between the constitutional right to protest and the limits imposed by public safety and the rule of law. However, Mulbah K. Morlu, Chairman of the pressure group Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND) has considered the allegations as, “unfounded”.
