In Summary:
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Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., leader of the upcoming July 17 protest, posted a video claiming the Liberia National Police stormed Truth FM to arrest protest planner, Trokon Gray.
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We verified his claim by analyzing the video, which revealed the police officers in the video were unarmed, the location was not the Truth FM compound, and police were responding to a distress call from former Senator Steve Zargo near Du Port Road.
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Both Truth FM management and police spokesperson denied that police entered or raided the station to arrest anyone, making Mr. Morlu’s claim misleading.
Last evening, on July 15, Mulbah K. Morlu Jr., the lead planner of the July 17 Protest, posted a video to Facebook, claiming that the Liberia National Police had deployed officers to invade Truth FM to arrest Trokon Gray, “one of the planners of the protest.”
The protest is being organized under the banner “Enough is Enough” by the civil society organization, Solidarity and Trust for a New Day (STAND), and the “We the People Movement,” led by Mulbah K Morlu Jr., the former Chairman of the opposition Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC).
Organizers say the protest aims to draw attention to the country’s governance and economic challenges.
The Claim
An excerpt of the post reads: “In a blatant attempt to crush free speech ahead of the July 17 Protest, a weakened and panicked Liberia National Police has deployed armed officers to storm Truth FM, targeting Trokon Gray without provocation. Trokon is known to many as the fearless ‘Yellow Machine’. This is not law enforcement, but tyranny in uniform.”
Rating Justification
To verify the claim, we analyzed the one-minute video posted by Mr. Morlu. In the footage, three unarmed police officers are seen walking in front of a low-height fenced compound alongside a man who appears to be making a phone call.
Meanwhile, the man on the phone, walking with the officers, can be heard asking for directions and mentioning that they had passed the Du Port Road cemetery; then, they walked pass two motorcyclists and proceed into a dark area.
In the video posted by Mr. Morlu, a man accompanied by three uniform police officers can be heard asking for direction
Additionally, we reviewed Truth FM’s Facebook page and found a post quoting former Senator Steve Zargo, who had gone to Du Port Road and called for police intervention while struggling to direct officers to his location.
The post also included a clarification from Police Spokesperson Cecilia G. Clarke, who denied rumors that police entered Truth FM, explaining that they were responding to a distress call from Senator Zargo.
At the same time, we contacted Mr. Laryee K. Bility, Manager of Truth FM, via text message regarding the claim. Mr. Bility responded that no one was arrested by the police on the premises and later confirmed in a phone call that the police did not enter the radio station compound.
Former Senator Steven Zargo responded to our inquiry through a WhatsApp text, stating that his call for police intervention and the appearance of Mr. Gray on the Truth FM Show were a coincidence.
Conclusion
We conclude based on our findings that the claim made by Mulbah Morlu Jr., the leader of the planned July 17 protest, that the Liberia National Police deployed officers to invade Truth FM to arrest Trokon Gray, one of the planners of the protest, is misleading.
The police had gone within the vicinity of the station on a call for assistance from former Senator Steve Zargo of Lofa County. There is no evidence that the police entered the premises of the station, arrested or attempted to arrest anyone.
