Senate Grants One-month Mandate To Audit Nationwide Security Checkpoints
Abraham Sylvester Panto 
MONROVIA, LIBERIA: The Liberian Senate has authorized a one-month nationwide audit of security checkpoints, directing its Committee on National Defense, Security, Intelligence and Veterans Affairs to assess deployment levels, coordination, economic impact, and compliance with national security standards amid concerns over overlap and public complaints.
The decision follows sustained reports from citizens and commercial transport operators who describe an expanding network of road barriers across major highways and county corridors, prompting lawmakers to examine whether the current structure reflects strategic necessity or fragmented enforcement practices lacking centralized oversight.
Formally presenting the matter before plenary, Grand Gedeh County Senator Thomas Yaya Nimely, cited widespread accounts of repeated inspections, prolonged travel interruptions, and alleged misconduct at certain checkpoints, developments that he argued warrant legislative scrutiny to safeguard both public confidence and lawful security operations.
“Widespread complaints from citizens and transport operators regarding repeated stops, unnecessary delays, and alleged harassment are at various checkpoints,” Senator Nimely asserted.
For his part, Committee Co-Chair Senator Samuel G. Kogar disclosed that engagements with security agencies revealed deployment figures that significantly exceed coordinated operational benchmarks, noting that the Liberia National Fire Service operates more than three dozen security gates nationwide while the Liberia Immigration Service maintains over one hundred checkpoints distributed across various counties.
“Our interactions with the institutions show a scale of checkpoint presence that requires structured evaluation to ensure alignment with national security objectives,” Senator Kogar stated.
Senator Kogar emphasized that the audit would extend beyond inland routes to include key national entry points, stating that the Freeport of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport have experienced an accumulation of multiple security actors conducting similar inspections, a situation the committee believes requires structural evaluation to prevent duplication of authority.
“During the investigation, we established that even besides the many checkpoints, the Freeport of Monrovia and the Roberts International Airport, which is the nation’s premier entry point, are overcrowded with different security personnel,” he continued.
He underscored that international security frameworks typically rely on sequential trust between agencies once primary clearance has been conducted, explaining that redundant inspections not only delay processing but may also signal gaps in inter-agency coordination and unified command systems.
Bomi County Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe clarified during deliberations that the Senate’s action does not seek to weaken legitimate enforcement mechanisms but instead aims to assess whether excessive checkpoint concentration is producing unintended economic consequences, particularly for small-scale traders and transport operators whose operating costs rise with each additional stop.
Senator Snowe observed that incremental charges, delays, and informal payments at road barriers ultimately translate into higher commodity prices in local markets, reinforcing the committee’s decision to evaluate the broader economic ripple effects associated with checkpoint proliferation.
“For every dime Ma Watta pays at the checkpoints while bringing her goods, it will have a trickle-down effect on her little market,” Senator Snowe stated.
Under the approved resolution, the committee is required to conduct consultations with agency leadership, review deployment authorizations, examine statutory mandates governing checkpoint operations, and determine whether policy harmonization is necessary to prevent regulatory gaps or operational redundancy.
Plenary unanimously endorsed the extension request and instructed the committee to deliver an interim briefing within two weeks, followed by a final report at the conclusion of the investigative period, findings that are expected to inform potential legislative reforms or administrative directives.
