Monrovia-March-21-TNR:The presidential elite security group, the Executive Protection Service (EPS) has sharply reacted to recent rigmarole over the protection of former President George M. Weah.
In a release issued yesterday in Monrovia, the EPS noted that, “We wish to clarify issues raised by some politicians and journalists in the media about the Executive Protection Service regarding EPS agents assigned to former President George Manneh Weah and also those EPS agents whose services were terminated due to prolonged absence from work without leaves (AWOL), thus showing no interest in the jobs.”
Commenting on the issue of former President Weah’s EPS bodyguards, the EPS noted that there is no law in the book that EPS provides bodyguards for former Presidents, former vice Presidents, etc., but it has been a longstanding tradition that the incumbent President usually authorizes security protection for those who had occupied the office before him or her.
The EPS noted that in keeping with that tradition, provision of security protection to the former President and former the Vice President is automatic adding, “It is not based on a request from the former. And that the size of the detail or bodyguards corps assigned is determined by the EPS based on the threat level around said VIP.
“Secondly, the EPS has assigned several well-trained agents with long-term experience to former President Weah, meaning he is in safe hands,” they added.
The EPS noted that in Liberia’s recent history, he is the first former president who has received the biggest number of bodyguards. “But, if he so desires more security protection, he can hire private security guards as former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and then Vice President Joseph Nyuma Boakai did over the past six years.”
On the issue of dismissed and resigned agents, the EPS noted that almost all the agents, who were terminated have not reported to work since January 2024.
“Information received by the EPS indicates most of them have left the country. Also, almost all those who resigned are abroad and have communicated their resignation from the jobs to the EPS Human Resource Department,” the group added.
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