MONROVIA, Montserrado – On Friday, May 12, Ashmun Street in Central Monrovia became a battle zone with protesting students from several universities at odds with the Police Support Unit of the Liberia National Police.

The students gathered in front of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry displacing placards, some of which read, “Axel Addy has imported too many expired beef, chicken, eggs, spare ribs on the Liberian market” and “Step Down, Minister Axel Addy.”

Bolee, a political science student at the United Methodist University who claimed to be the protestors’ spokesperson, said students from the African Methodist Episcopal, United Methodist, African Methodist Episcopal Zion Universities, and Stella Maris Polytechnic had gathered to call on Addy to resign.

B.S. Bolee, spokesperson for the protestors, was arrested and taken into police custody. Photo: Zeze Ballah

“We are issuing a 72-hour ultimatum to Addy to resign or else he will regret our actions,” he said.

Bolee stressed that no amount of intimidation from the police would deter his colleagues from protesting, adding that they were prepared to go to jail.

He said the lack of price controls, coupled with expired goods on the market were all due to Addy not understanding his role as head of the Commerce Ministry.

“Many Liberians are falling ill because of the expired apples, eggs, chicken, beef, among others, [that are] purchased and consumed,” he said. “The responsibility of Addy is to protect the sanctity of the commerce of Liberia, which he has failed to do.”

Arrested Students Shouting the Struggle Continues Photo Zeze Ballah

The protest soon turned violent after Commerce Ministry officials’ pleas that students should stop obstructing the ministry’s activities fell on deaf ears.

Traffic came to a standstill for several minutes along Ashmun Street and minutes later, the PSU, under the command of Patrick Sulu, arrived and asked the protesting students to stop obstructing the free movement of pedestrians and vehicles.

The students failed to adhere to instructions from the police, at which point, the police began effectuating their removal. In the process, the protesting students started throwing stones, pieces of planks, and other objects at the police officers.

Some of the protesting students ran back into the fence of the United Methodist University for safety but were chased by the police officers.

Two of several injured students. Photo: Zeze Ballah

Several students were arrested while others sustained various degrees of injuries including a police officer, who was bleeding from his head.

The Bush Chicken could not independently verify the number of injuries due to the complexity of the situation.

Archie Hall Ragland, a student leader at UMU, told The Bush Chicken that the situation was the worst he had ever witnessed. He criticized the police for their response, given that they were trained with taxpayers’ funds.

“The situation here today is very pathetic and regrettable,” Ragland said.

Archie Hall Ragland, Student Leader United Methodist University Photo Zeze Ballah

Ragland said most of the protesters were not actually students from the various universities but were rather a group of traders who had gathered to call on the commerce minister to pay attention to the issue of expired goods on the local market.

“The police officers entered the university premises by jumping over the fence and went from class to class and undressed some of the females and stole several phones as well,” Ragland said of the incident.

Protesting University Students Calling on Axel Addy to resign Photo Zeze Ballah

He further alleged that 10 persons were arrested and are in police custody while 20 others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at the Mawah Clinic in Central Monrovia.

“This is a brutal attack on the student community and Liberia at large and the government needs to render an apology,” Ragland said.

Neither the police nor officials at the commerce ministry were willing to provide information on the situation.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah