" Our Offices are Empty" MRU Youth Parliament Alleges Burglary!

By: Contributing Writer 

Monrovia- The Mano River Union Youth Parliament Liberia Chapter has accused three of its parliamentarians of burglarizing the headquarters of the institution and taking away every valuable in the office.

The Speaker of the MRUYP Liberia Chapter, Daniel Nama Nills narrated that the 3rd Parliamentary Session was earlier planned to have been held in the Parliament Office on the Camp Johnson, Central Monrovia on Saturday, March 23, 2024.

But according to him, when members of the regional body Liberia Chapter converged at the main office in the morning hours of Saturday, a few minutes later, the three members, Preston Davies, Benedict Paye and Kupee Sie Washington reportedly led an attack against them with gangs.

“We were so surprised at their unruly actions and this gets me pondering over the kind of society we young people want to build or live in when some of our colleagues deliberately failed to use the rule of law in expressing whatever grievances they may have instead of ordering gangs to cause instability and disrupt a peace process,” he said.   

As the attack intensified, Mr. Nills noted that they relocated to the All African Students Union (AASU) Building located Mamba Point in Central Monrovia to avoid having any violent engagement with the three members and their gangs.

He indicated that despite the said decision to avoid the confrontation which he believes could have resulted in a brutal battle if his leadership had not acted, David, Paye and Washington along with their gangs followed to the next destination and allegedly destroyed people’s private properties.

The MRUYP-LC Speaker emphasized that there are pieces of available pictorial evidence of the destruction on the building that hosts the All African Students Union (AASU).

Quoting the accounts of some eyewitnesses, Mr. Nills noted that on the night of Saturday, Preston Davis, Kupee Sie Washington and Benedict Paye reportedly led a gang of criminals who burglarized the headquarters of the Parliament and made their way with everything.

“One of the office rooms of the Parliament has been used to host 50 pieces of sewing machines belonging to the Liberia Tailoring Union which is partnering with the Parliament to provide vocational training to young people in Monrovia,” he averred.

The Speaker also disclosed that the leadership is currently taking infantry to add to the already established case to later finalize on the best approach to ensure that no one goes with impunity.

However, our reporter emphasized that amid an initial attack with the throwing of stones at glasses of the building of the All African Students Union by some unidentified individuals, the Mano River Youth Parliament Liberia Chapter still mustered the courage and held its 3rd Parliamentary Session.

During the session, the body passed a 7-count resolution for 2024 with a clarion call to the national government to involve statutory youth groupings in the fight against drugs and substance abuse across the country.

The resolution highlighting major recommendations to the Unity Party Government was passed by the 4th MRUP-LC in its 3rd Parliamentary Session held in Central Monrovia on Saturday, March 23, 2024 with 16 of its 30 members duly seated.

It captured the theme, “Ending the scourge of Drug and Substance Abuse through Dialogue and Youth Engagement”.

In the resolution read by the Speaker of the regional youth body, Daniel Nana Nills, the group wants the central government through the taskforce established by President Joseph Boakai on Drugs and Substance Abuse to ensure the involvement of all statutory youths and student organizations.

When contacted the three members accused of the act through text messages and phone calls, one of them, Preston David dismissed the allegation levied against he and his colleagues, terming the claim as false and misleading.

He clarified that he received a text message from the leadership that the 3rd sitting would have been held on the Camp Johnson Road at the main office but later he was told by others that they knew nothing about the session.

At the same time, Kupee Sie Washington, one of the accused in reaction to the allegation via a text message to our reporter, expressed shock over the information, clarifying his disconnection to the happening.