Bryant, Klein In The Ring

Hell broke loose recently in the Township of Johnsonville, when supporters of the newly appointed commissioner, Rev. Emmette Hoff protested the re-instatement of the Township’s suspended commissioner, Rev. Emmanuel Shaw.

The protest came shortly after Montserrado County Superintendent Madam Josephine George Francis refused to induct into office Rev. Hoff without any given reasons.

The confusion that led to the disruption of the induction ceremony saw Rev. Hoff’s supporters on the one hand, and the Shaw supporters on the other, jumping into serious riot, although without any casualty reported.

The riot that lasted for several minutes resulted to the forceful evacuation of Superintendent Francis into her waiting jeep by some concerned Johnsonville citizens.

Superintendent Francis, according to our reporter, had been mandated by the Minister of Internal Affairs Dan Morias to induct Rev. Emmette Hoff as Commissioner of Johnsonville based on the recommendations from the citizens of the Township and his subsequent appointment by National Transitional Government of Liberia (NTGL) Chairman, Gyude Bryant.

Rev. Shaw was suspended by the Ministry of Internal Affairs for administrative mal-practices reportedly committed during his tenue as Commissioner of Johnsonville.

For his part, suspended Commissioner, Rev. Emmanuel Shaw, told reporters that he still maintains his position, “because suspension does not mean dismissal, so I was suspended, and never dismissed,” he confidently averred.

Also speaking during the confusion was the Special Assistant to the Deputy Internal Affairs Minister for Urban Affairs Thomas Baddo who revealed that he was sent to the program to monitor the induction ceremony by his boss, but to his surprise, the mandate given Superintendent Francis turned around and instead gave authority back to Rev. Shaw contrary to Minister Morias’s mandate.

At the same time, some residents of the Township have condemned Superintendent Francis for causing confusion within the Township which has led to the out-break of increased violence over night in various Towns and Villages among supporters of Rev. Hoff and Rev. Shaw.

Meanwhile the youths of the Township are calling on the NTGL to settle the leadership crisis within the Township before the situation goes out of hand.