Liberia: Zargo Says Boakai Aides Behind His Removal in Political Witch-Hunt

Voinjama — Steve Zargor, the former Commissioner General of the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), has spoken out about his suspension, which has become not only indefinite but also an implied dismissal from the Unity Party-led government, blaming Francis Sackilla Nyumalin and Samuel Koffi Woods for orchestrating it.

Zargo spoke when he appeared on a local radio show in his hometown of Voinjama yesterday evening. Breaking the silence, the former Senator of Lofa County stated that he was fed up with being used as a sacrificial lamb under the doctrine of tradition, which calls for nephews to unconditionally and unquestionably respect their uncles. This case specifically involved him and President Joseph Nyumah Boakai, who had appointed him to serve.

According to the former LIS boss, although his suspension letter did not specify any specific offense or violation he committed, he firmly believes that Internal Affairs Minister Francis Sackilla Nyumalin and Samuel Koffi Woods, the National Security Advisor to President Boakai, orchestrated efforts to have him removed.

“Francis Sackila Nyumalin, the current Internal Affairs Minister, feels that Zargo should not survive under this arrangement,” he alleged. He claimed that Nyumalin and other top officials, especially Minister Sylvester Grigsby and Samuel Koffi Woods at the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs, have hijacked the office of the President and are making decisions about who works in the government and who does not.

“It is an open secret in Lofa that anything Nyumalin tells the old man, that’s it. I have heard that. When you go to Foya, it is all around. I am a nephew of the people there. A guy like Koffi Woods supports Nyumalin’s attempt to get me out,” he further alleged.

Zargo said Nyumalin had long promised to get at him, making sure that he (Zargo) suffered upon Boakai becoming President.

He narrated that when he was still a Senator for Lofa and Nyumalin, a Representative for Lofa District #1 then, the former ruling CDC led Government had wanted to arrest Nyumalin for threatening to bring the government down but he (Zargo), as head of the Legislative Caucus from Lofa then, led a team to ensure that Nyumalin was not arrested. Still, the appreciation he received from his fellow lawmakers and traditional uncle was a threat that he would work in a Boakai-led government.

He disclosed that the unhealthy political experience with Nyumalin started in 2023 when the latter deliberately chose to point him(Zargo) out for traveling to Foya in 2021 and 2022 with Jefferson Koijee, former CDC youth chairman and then City Mayor of Monrovia, as well as Thomas Fallah who was the then Representative of Montserrado District #5 but was building his new political home in Lofa.

The former LIS boss said Nyumalin has never been kind to him since then, even though it is a known fact that he (Zargo) is a senior stalwart of the Liberty Party but strongly supported a Boakai Presidency-something he said cost him his reelection as he put in more time to campaign for Boakai to win compared to campaigning as much as he ought to have done for himself.

He challenged claims linking him to violating a court order of Nea Exti Republica (not allowing a wanted person to leave the country) involving a Guinean national and another person known as Sheriff. “I was not in the country. I was in Boston, the United States, attending the International Association Conference of Police Chiefs, and I was there with the Inspector General of Police, Gregory Coleman.”

Zargo posited that his three-month suspension, which has now become a dismissal due to the President’s appointment of a new head of LIS and the Senate’s confirmation of the new head, is a political witch hunt rather than anything else, as speculated in the media.

President Boakai’s letter of suspension to Zargo dated November 13, 2025, contains the following: “I have received and reviewed a report regarding your handling of a Writ of Nea exit Republica involving an individual under court action. According to the finding, it has been determined that you exercised improper judgment and failed in your duty to uphold the responsibility required of your position in this matter. In view of the above, you are thereby suspended from duty without pay for a period of three months, effective immediately.”

The former Lawmaker, however, reiterated that there is a misconception about his suspension and sees no reason to dignify any of the allegations against him, adding that he chose to speak at this time, especially while in Lofa, because he has consulted with the elders sufficiently. They made efforts to help resolve the perceived conflict between him and President Boakai, but they failed to gain access to the President to hear from him and plead for reconsideration.

Zargo expressed disbelief at his unceremonious exit from the government, especially since he had invested so much in campaigning for Boakai to become President, reflecting on the history that Lofa has produced, having had vice presidents before. Boakai was one of them, and 2023 was the time to ensure that the County made a President for Liberia.

“Since my uncle’s letter to me did not say that I stole or raped, the next things I have been hearing around are that I was training rebels at the LIS Academy in Foya and that I allowed Samuel Tweah to leave the country or come into the country. Could not get anything straight out of it. This is why my coming here today to speak is a blessing because the elders, too, feel it is important for me to say my side of the story to clear the air,” he told his interviewer.

He boasted of being the only professional security administrator who had trained over 500 officers at one training, with no allocation of budget in the national fiscal budget, except for the institution’s operational and intelligence funds available at the time.

Frowned at UP’s ingratitude

Zargo frowned at the Unity Party for what he referred to as being insensitive to the many sacrifices people like him made to bring it back to power as a political institution.

“You think sacrificing the Liberty Party was something we did on a get-go so easily? That was a high sacrifice we made to make the Liberty Party work with the UP. There was an attempt to bring our Liberty Party (led by our political leader, Nyonblee Karngar-Lawrence) to the ANC. There was an eleventh-hour maneuvering, but some of us were very firm and have been friends with Joseph Nyumah Boakai for a long time. While we were campaigning, they were undermining me,” he said.

He added that the Unity Party has been so disingenuous, insensitive, and unfair to others who have helped them. Many of those Unity people have created more problems. They feel more entitled. They treat other people with disdain and indifference. They show no sign of appreciation.”

Amid the crisis, including his job loss, Zargo said he still supports the President and believes the Liberian leader means well, but is surrounded by people who do not. “For 19 years, I have been supporting Joseph Nyumah Boakai. I still support him.”

When asked whether he can continue to sacrifice if Boakai seeks reelection, the former LIS boss said it was no longer a matter of being definite in his response, as he is no longer alone. “I have my people, and they will have a say.”

Accepting a life without a UP Government job

As a trained security expert, a lawyer, and a former legislator who served for nine years, a retired police Director, and someone who has also worked with the United Nations, Zargo has accepted that he is ready to move on with his life, leaving behind his career in government.

He said that his departure from a government job is not the end of his life and is happy that he is not on trial for corruption or any other serious crime.

“The one who employs can dismiss, and in his judgment, I did not make a good judgment, although not specific, but I can’t challenge it. If he were specific about the judgment, I could challenge it. One thing I know is that most of my decisions are made with prayerful consideration. When I make a decision, I pray about it. Also, my empirical experiences and the lessons learned guide the kinds of decisions I make. So I am very cautious.”

By Liberian Investigator.