By Pewu Y. Sumo
Capitol Hill, Monrovia: — The University of Liberia-based student movement, the Vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) is pressuring Liberian leader Joseph Nyuma Boakai, to immediately axe the Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Col. Gregory O.W. Coleman.
SUP, in a statement issued in Monrovia on May 9, characterized the LNP under Coleman’s leadership as a “killing machine” and a “gangster enterprise.” The demand follows a series of controversial incidents, most notably the events of April 14, 2026, where SUP alleges peaceful student activists were arbitrarily arrested, “brutalized with shocking viciousness,” and imprisoned without justification.
Allegations of State-Sponsored Violence
In a strongly worded manifesto, SUP accused IG Coleman of presiding over an “institutional metamorphosis” in which the police force has drifted from its constitutional mandate toward “coercion, brute force, and hooliganism.”
The party cataloged a “trail of dead bodies” allegedly linked to police actions during Coleman’s tenure, including: The Kinjor Massacre (March 28, 2024); The shooting of 17-year-old student James Kandy in the Rehab Community; The deaths in custody of individuals including Morris Gomo and Prince Wreyou and most recently, the shooting of a motorcyclist in the Chicken Soup Factory area earlier this week, among many others.
“The enforcement of law and order is in high demand, but unfortunately, it is in scarce supply under Gregory Coleman,” the statement read. “The only difference between him and ordinary thieves is that he is dressed in a nice police suit.”
Rule of Law Failures
SUP further linked the Inspector General to the Boakai administration’s recent failure in the Rule of Law category of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) Scorecard. The party argued that the government’s inability to pass this metric is a direct result of “vampiric” policing and a lack of accountability for officers involved in rape, theft, and murder.
The party also accused Coleman of acting as a “de facto boss” of the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency (LDEA), claiming he micromanages the agency from behind the scenes while failing to curb crime.
Demands for Transparency and Justice
A central pillar of today’s statement is the lack of progress regarding the investigation into the April 14 crackdown. SUP noted that despite police promises of a probe, “weeks have elapsed in a suffocating vacuum of silence.”
Consequently, SUP stated that it demands the immediate dismissal of Inspector General Gregory Coleman. The student movement also called for the immediate publication of the investigation report concerning the April 14 brutality.
Furthermore, SUP demanded restitution for students whose personal belongings (phones, money, and academic materials) were allegedly stolen by officers during the crackdown, while also calling for the prosecution of officers identified in various acts of misconduct and extrajudicial killings.
“Safety No Longer Guaranteed”
The statement concluded with a grim assessment of the national security climate, stating that Liberians no longer feel safe because the LNP has been “bastardized.” SUP vowed to continue its “March for Jobs and Justice,” asserting that they will not allow the suffering of their members to be buried under “official indifference.”
Planned Protest Announced
Meanwhile, in a related development, SUP announced it will continue its “March for Jobs and Justice” on July 26, 2026, coinciding with Liberia’s Independence Day.
Neither the Liberia National Police nor the Executive Mansion has responded to the concerns raised by the student movement.
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