LCC Recommends Tougher Actions

-Against  Illicit Drug Traffickers, Users

The President of the Liberia Council of Churches (LCC), Bishop Kortu K. Brown has described the fight against illicit drugs a national emergency.

Rev. Kortu Browne

Bishop Brown, also General Overseer of the New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Brewerville, told reporters in Monrovia recently, he foresees a bleak feature for Liberia if the fight against narcotic drugs is not given a major priority.

The Religious Cleric stressed the need for every citizen to give huge support to paramilitary institutions like the Drugs Enforcement Agency (DEA) and the Liberia National Police as well as other civil society working groups that are fronting this fight.

Bishop Brown said the Drugs Enforcement Agency must identify and bring to book illicit drugs traffickers and prominent individuals caught shielding them.

“They must be identified, arrested and prosecuted because they don’t have this country at heart’, they are destroying a huge portion of the nation’s population, Bishop Brown averred.

The LCC President noted that drug users are invading the country and destroying the future of the next generation and making people ineffective and if nothing is done, Liberia could suffer setback.

He said there is an urgent need for the Legislative branch of the Liberian Government to make drug abuse or sale a non-billable offence under the law noting that, effective law enforcement, incarceration, tough punishment and repression will ensure a significant cut down on demand and harm caused by these dangerous substances in the country.

Bishop Brown urged the Churches, communities, families and all citizens to join the fight against drug abuse and addiction, noting that if the number of drugs users oversea the number of educated people, it might become a major challenge for Liberia.

He made the assertion during the weekend at a General Evangelism Workshop, held at the New Covent Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Gardnerville under the auspices of the Monrovia district of the Apostolic Pentecostal Church.

Alphonso Toweh

Has been in the profession for over twenty years. He has worked for many international media outlets  including: West Africa Magazine, Africa Week Magazine, African Observer and  did occasional reporting for CNN, BBC World Service, Sunday Times, NPR, Radio Deutchewells, Radio Netherlands. He is the current correspondent for Reuters 
 He holds first  MA with honors in International  Relations and a  candidate for second master in International Peace studies and Conflict  Resolution from the University of Liberia.