-Mrs. Johnson Breaks Silence Amid PYJ’s Properties Dispute
By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia: The widow of the late Nimba County Senator Prince Johnson, Amira Johnson, has disclosed that he died without a legal will, after months of claims from his children seeking a share of his assets. This declaration strikes at the heart of the claims made by the late senator’s children, including his daughter Amy Johnson, who are demanding their share of his properties. “When I met their pa, he didn’t have property. When he met me, he didn’t have property,” Mrs. Johnson stated during a recent interview.
She framed their union as the foundation of their later-acquired wealth and positioned herself not merely as a wife, but as a divinely appointed partner integral to his success. In a revealing account, she shared that their marriage was encouraged by the late Nigerian prophet T. B. Joshua. “One day the prophet called me and said that ‘God chose you to be with Prince Johnson,’” she recounted. “I said no prophet, the man will kill me. He said ‘No, the man will not kill you because you will change his life.’” Mrs. Johnson claimed the late senator was deliberate about his assets.
The former Senator died on November 28.
“He never had Amy’s name on anything,” his widow asserted. “He used to say these kinds of children I can’t leave property in their hands. He never left a will. They never cared for their pa.” Addressing the specific properties, she mentioned a college and two schools. “I gave them one school and I took the one my name is on,” she said, presenting her actions as a gesture of fairness. She further painted a picture of financial strain, noting that the late senator did not leave substantial funds in any bank and often relied on credit.
“The man left no finance in any bank,” she claimed. “He was solely surviving on his monthly salary.” She added that some of their properties, including a school in Paynesville, were constructed using loans, complicating the narrative of a vast, liquid estate.
These claims from the widow stand in stark contrast to the emotional and sharp accusations from the senator’s daughter, Amy Johnson. For months, Amy has used social media as her platform to voice a profound sense of betrayal and loss that extends far beyond material possessions.
“After my dad died, my uncles didn’t honor his word,” Amy lamented in one post. “They took what wasn’t theirs to take, disrespected hismemory, and showed their true colors. The betrayal wasn’t just about actions—it was about breaking trust, dishonoring my dad’s name, and pretending to care when they didn’t.”
Her grief is palpable, accusing family members of hypocrisy.
“They stood by my father’s grave with tears, but behind the scenes, they were tearing down everything my dad stood for,” she wrote, adding, “Some betrayals only reveal themselves after someone passes, when truth no longer has a voice to defend itself.” Amy’s allegations against her stepmother are severe and specific. She has publicly accused Mrs. Johnson, who is Nigerian, of forging a marriage certificate at the World Trade Centre on Carey Street to legitimize her claim to the estate.
In a more direct financial allegation, Amy claimed her stepmother, in cahoots with her brother, withdrew over US$80,000 from the late senator’s Ecobank account and closed it on the same day. These claims directly contradict Mrs. Johnson’s assertion that no significant funds were left in banks. The situation has escalated to the point where Amy has expressed fears for her safety. “Let the world know say they conspired, let the world know say they want to kill me,” she cried out in a recent post.
“Today if I die, that my stepma kill me!! We pray the Government intervenes.” In a heart-wrenching tribute to her father, Amy penned a letter expressing her family’s struggle. “Dad, I wish you were here… Life has not been kind to us since you left. The people you trusted have turned their backs on us, and those who should have protected us have only brought pain.” She continued, “We are fighting every day, but the weight is heavy… If only you were here to guide us, to shield us, to remind us that we are not alone.”
From Warlord to Religious Leader and Politician
Born on July 6, 1952, Prince Yormie Johnson emerged from the chaos of the First Liberian Civil War as both a notorious rebel leader and a prominent political figure. Initially serving as an officer in the Armed Forces of Liberia, he allied with Charles Taylor’s National Patriotic Front of Liberia (NPFL) when the conflict erupted in 1989. Johnson’s rise to power was marked by brutality and violence, culminating in the formation of his splinter group, the Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL), which was responsible for the capture, torture, and execution of former President Samuel Doe in 1990.
In 1990, rebel soldiers from Johnson’s Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia captured President Samuel Doe and were then, in front of their leader, filmed mutilating him – his ear was sliced off – before he was killed. The warlord later expressed regret for what had happened, but, as quoted by the AFP news agency, justified his role in the war, saying he was defending “my country, my people, who were led to the slaughterhouse as if they were chickens and goats, by the Doe regime”. He also said he had changed and had become a pastor in his evangelical church.
The civil war devastated Liberia, resulting in over 250,000 deaths and a staggering economic loss estimated at $10 billion. Johnson’s role in this violence has made him a controversial figure, often cited in discussions about the need for accountability and justice in Liberia. His actions during the war have led many to call for the establishment of a war and economic crimes court, highlighting the ongoing struggle to address the legacy of impunity in the country.
