IN OUR SEPTEMBER 15, 2025, edition, this editorial board issued a direct and urgent plea to President Joseph Boakai: suspend Deputy Minister Bryant McGill and ensure his arrest for the alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl. We articulated the profound moral and legal crisis his inaction represented—a betrayal of the President’s solemn vow to protect Liberia’s women and girls and to uphold a justice system that applies equally to all.
ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2025, President Boakaitook a necessary and welcome step by suspending Mr. McGill from his post at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. For this decisive action, which aligns with the demands of the public, advocacy groups, and legislative leaders, we acknowledge and thank the President. It demonstrates that this administration is not entirely deaf to the roar of public outrage.
HOWEVER, MR. PRESIDENT, your work—and more critically, the work of our justice system—is far from complete. A suspension is an administrative measure; it is not justice. It removes an accused official from the trappings of power but does not answer the fundamental demand for legal accountability. The core of our September 15 argument remains unaddressed: Bryant McGill must be arrested and subjected to the full, transparent process of the law.
THE CASE AGAINST McGill is not a whisper in the dark. It is supported by a medical report confirming penetration, a survivor placed in a safe home, and the courageous testimony of her father. Under Liberian law, rape of a minor is a non-bailablefirst-degree felony. The standard procedure is immediate arrest and pre-trial detention. This is the treatment any ordinary citizen would face, and it is the treatment McGill must receive.
HIS CURRENT FREEDOM, while investigations purportedly continue, fosters a perception of a two-tiered justice system—one for the connected and another for the masses. This is the very poison your ARREST Agenda promised to eradicate. We therefore reiterate our demand to the Liberia National Police (LNP): Execute an immediate arrest warrant for Bryant McGill.
THE EVIDENCE IN the public domain is more than sufficient to meet the threshold for arrest. Every hour he spends outside of a cell undermines the integrity of our penal code and deepens the anguish of every survivor of gender-based violence. Furthermore, we urge your administration, Mr. President, to ensure that the ensuing investigation is conducted with absolute transparency and rigor.
THE LNP’s INITIAL statements, citing the need for international DNA testing while arresting other alleged rapists on simpler evidence, have rightfully raised suspicion. We call for clear, regular public updates on the investigation’s progress to assure the nation that there is no political interference and that the process is not being deliberately delayed until public anger subsides.
PRESIDENT JOSEPH BOAKAI, you assured Liberian women of your protection. You promised a new era. Taking the step to suspend McGill proves you can listen. Now, you must prove you can lead. Ensure that the LNP does its job without fear or favor. A traumatized 14-year-old girl is waiting. The women of Liberia are watching. The world is watching. Do not let your promise of justice die in the silence of complicity or the inertia of a slow-walked investigation. See this through.
