The reported decision by the Director of the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA), Abraham Kromah to ‘stand down’ officers of the operation wing of the Agency is having a negative impact on the government’s intention to quash the use and sale of drugs out of Liberia, as officers plan to go slow on the job.
At the moment, LDEA operations is being affected due to a reported conflict between Director Kromah and his deputy for operations, Al Hassan Fadiga.
A source hinted that it has been a month now since the two senior officers have been at loggerhead as to whose order officers of LDEA should submit.
Kromah is said to have instructed that all LDEA officers should not take orders from deputy director Fadiga until otherwise order.
This latest mandate by Kromah for officers not to take instruction from Fadiga, is said to be causing problem. As a result of Kromah’s order, several officers are not performing their duties.
“We cannot be on stand down for ever. We are in operations and our boss is Fadiga so why we should not take instructions from him?” one officer wondered.
The LDEA Officer, who asked not to be named, frowned that the misunderstanding between their bosses is impeding the work of the agency, adding “If they do not resolve their differences, we will go slow. We have already held a meeting to begin the go slow as soon as possible.”
Another officer claimed that Director Abraham Kromah is exercising what she calls “too much unnecessary authority” at LDEA, stressing “Kromah needs to understand that he is just the head and not a god so he should work with his deputy for operations and not to tell him when to do his job or stop officers from taking instructions from him.”
“We will stay away so two of them can do the LDEA work. The President must act and act now to ensure that his desire against drugs is achieved,” the officer maintained.
On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, this paper reported an alleged usurpation of functions at the Liberia Drugs Enforcement Agency (LDEA) by Director Kromah. An action, which is said to be brewing tension between Kromah and Al Hassan Fadiga.
Director Kromah has reportedly instructed Fadiga not to raid any area suspected to be drug infested except he (Kromah) gives the go ahead, a mandate Fadiga has rejected.
“You cannot tell me how to do my job. I am the deputy for operations here and to say I should raid areas based on your approval, is not possible,” Fadiga reportedly told Kromah, an inside source hinted this paper Monday, March 25, 2024.
As it stands, the operations department of LDEA is not functioning due to kromah’s instruction. Most of the officers are on ‘stand down’ order.
Director Kromah is yet to respond to the unfolding problem at LDEA. When contacted for comment via mobile phone on Monday, March 25, 2024, Kromah did not answer as our reporter’s call was diverted to voicemail.
To further ensure that he provided his response to inquiry, a WhatsApp message was sent but he also did not reply. To date, Kromah is still tightlipped.
With this looming tension between Kromah and Fadiga, it might stall President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s quest to clamp down on drug dealers and users.
At his first State of the Nation’s Address to the 55th Legislature on Monday, January 29, 2024, President Boakai declared drugs as a public health emergency, mandating all public officials take drug test beginning with himself and Vice President Jeremiah Kpan Koung.
