Liberia: ‘All Lies’ – Witherspoon Confesses to Anti-Weah Propaganda Campaign

MONROVIA — Stanton Witherspoon has admitted that claims tying former President George Weah to a series of high-profile deaths during his administration were political “lies,” confessing that he and other influential voices helped manufacture and amplify the narrative as part of an effort to turn voters against the CDC government.

The admission was made on his widely followed “Spoon Talk” broadcast on Wednesday night. Witherspoon’s remarks come years after the incidents that gripped the country.

A Stark Public Confession

In unusually blunt language, Witherspoon said he and others deliberately portrayed the deaths of several auditors and the disappearance of three boys as coordinated assassinations carried out or concealed by the Weah administration. He said those claims, widely circulated on radio, social media, and political platforms, were designed to project the former president as dangerous and incapable of governing.

“Everything said back then was a lie,” he told his audience. “All the deaths of the auditors and the three missing boys were propaganda we used against Weah.”

The confession stunned viewers, many of whom had followed his earlier broadcasts in which he echoed public fears and heightened national anxieties. Witherspoon acknowledged that he and other political actors used ordinary deaths, including natural causes, as tools to sow distrust. In his words, “Somebody died of pressure or sugar, we said it was George Weah. When a pregnant woman went to give birth and died in the process, we said George Weah killed her.”

He added that the attacks on the former government were systematic and coordinated, saying they “beat on the CDC government,” discredited it, and made it unpopular at a time when the public was already frustrated by economic hardship and allegations of corruption. His confession also included a note of regret, driven, he said, by his disappointment that President Joseph Boakai’s administration has not lived up to the expectations he once defended vigorously.

A Period of Fear and Speculation

The tragedies used for political purposes happened between 2020 and 2021, when Liberia faced a series of deaths involving financial analysts responsible for auditing public institutions. These included LRA auditors Gifty Lama, Albert Peters, and George Fahnboto, as well as Internal Audit Agency Director General Emmanuel Barten Nyensuwa. Their deaths occurred as the Weah administration was under intense scrutiny for alleged mismanagement and corruption, raising public suspicion that the government might be trying to silence potential whistleblowers.

Before investigators could determine the causes of death, speculation spread rapidly. Social media became a platform for conspiracy theories, and several public commentators fueled the idea that auditors were being targeted because of sensitive information related to government finances. The atmosphere of uncertainty deepened, and opposition groups took advantage of the situation to question the administration’s credibility.

Witherspoon now states that much of the speculation was intentionally amplified, even when evidence did not support it.

The Disappearance That Shocked the Nation

In October 2020, three boys, Siaffa Boima, Robert Blamo Jr., and Bobby Mengueh, left their community in Monrovia for what was supposed to be a quick day job at a riverside property owned by businessman Moses Ahossouhe of St. Moses Funeral Parlors. When they did not return, their disappearance quickly became a national crisis.

Families launched frantic searches, communities demanded answers, and social media accounts began spreading theories that the boys had been abducted or killed for ritual purposes. The earlier auditor deaths already had the country on edge, making the disappearance of the boys an emotional trigger. Many Liberians became convinced that something sinister had happened to them, and government critics used the tragedy as further evidence that the state had lost control.

Only one body, that of Siaffa Boima, was later found and identified by witnesses based on the clothing he wore that day. The bodies of Blamo and Mengueh were never recovered, fueling suspicion and sorrow in equal measure. Public frustration mounted, and the government faced a barrage of criticism even before the police concluded their investigation.

Police Findings and Public Distrust

Months later, Liberia National Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman released an investigative report that contradicted public fears. The findings concluded that the boys died in an accident after the small canoe carrying them capsized on the St. John River on October 17, 2020. Boima drowned and his body was later discovered. The other two boys were believed to have drowned as well, a conclusion investigators said aligned with historical patterns in that section of the river, where bodies are sometimes never recovered due to fast-moving currents and submerged terrain.

Coleman emphasized that no evidence of foul play was uncovered and that the deaths were accidents. Under Chapter 25 of Liberia’s Civil Procedure Law, the case was classified as accidental drowning.

But by the time the findings were announced, public trust had eroded significantly. Many Liberians, influenced by commentators like Witherspoon, doubted official explanations. The atmosphere had already been shaped by fear, rumor, and political agitation.

Pathologists Targeted in the Political Storm

Medical professionals who conducted autopsies were also caught in the crossfire. Dr. Benedict Kullie, Liberia’s medical examiner, faced accusations that he was politically aligned with the Weah administration. Opposition politicians and media figures rejected his findings, claiming the reports were manipulated to protect the government.

Witherspoon now admits those attacks were unfair and politically motivated. He acknowledged that he and others vilified pathologists who were simply doing their jobs. “The Liberian pathologist, Benedict Kullie, and others are our own people we demonized yesterday,” he said. “The pathologists did their work and gave reports. We went against them for politics.”

Fallout in the 2023 Election

The compounded tragedies, together with the accusations of targeted killings, contributed to a growing perception that the Weah administration had failed to secure the lives of citizens. The deaths became symbols of a government portrayed as both incompetent and indifferent. Rallies, talk shows, and opposition messaging amplified the belief that Liberia was unsafe under Weah’s watch.

These narratives intertwined with ongoing concerns about unemployment, inflation, corruption scandals, and governance failures. By the time the 2023 presidential election arrived, the stories about mysterious deaths had become central to the political case against Weah. Many analysts believe these narratives significantly contributed to weakening his re-election chances, especially among undecided voters who were troubled by the perception that something dangerous was happening in the country.

By Liberian Investigator.