By Our Reporter | Smart News Liberia
MONROVIA, LIBERIA – Liberia National Police (LNP) Inspector General Gregory O.W. Coleman is facing mounting criticism after concerned partisans of the Movement for Democracy and Reconstruction (MDR) and citizens of Nimba County demanded an investigation into remarks he made about Nimba County Senator Samuel G. Kogar during a Senate hearing on Liberia’s US$19.2 million cocaine investigation.
The group accused Coleman of acting unprofessionally after he referred to Senator Kogar as a “loose talker” during the July 1, 2026, hearing, describing the comment as disrespectful to both the senator and the Liberian Senate.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the concerned citizens and MDR partisans called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and Senate Pro Tempore Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence to investigate the Inspector General’s conduct and determine whether disciplinary action is warranted.
They further urged the President to consider appropriate sanctions, including suspension or dismissal, should the investigation establish that Coleman acted improperly.
According to the group, the Inspector General’s remarks undermined the dignity of the Senate and showed a lack of respect for an elected lawmaker carrying out his constitutional oversight responsibilities.
The statement also urged the Senate to defend the integrity of its members while reaffirming the group’s support for Senator Kogar and the people of Nimba County.
The controversy stems from the July 1 Senate hearing, which was convened to receive an update from the Joint Security on the investigation into the seizure of approximately 237.6 kilograms of cocaine, valued at an estimated US$19.2 million, at Roberts International Airport (RIA).
What began as an oversight hearing evolved into a tense confrontation after Senator Kogar questioned the pace and credibility of the investigation and called on President Boakai to suspend senior security officials pending its conclusion.
Kogar argued that Inspector General Gregory Coleman, Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA) Officer-in-Charge Fitzgerald T.M. Biago, and officials of the National Security Agency (NSA) should be temporarily relieved of their duties to strengthen public confidence in the investigation.
“President Boakai must suspend Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman, OIC Biago, and NSA officials. That is the only way this investigation will be taken seriously. The Inspector General is shielding people here,” Kogar declared during the hearing.
Inspector General Coleman immediately rejected the allegation and challenged the senator to provide evidence.
“Do you have evidence, Mr. Senator? You just talked loosely here…” Coleman responded, a remark that has since generated widespread political reaction.
The exchange has fueled debate over the relationship between Liberia’s security institutions and the Legislature, with critics arguing that public confrontations between senior law enforcement officials and elected lawmakers risk undermining public confidence in the handling of one of the country’s largest reported drug trafficking cases.
