President Sirleaf's Security Chief Begs for Pardon

The Daily Observer came down hard on the EPS boss

After declaring himself as the [first] official of the Sirleaf-Administration to publically threaten the relative freedom given to the Liberian media, Othello Warrick, head of the Executive Protection Service (EPS), formerly the Special Security Service (SSS), has said that his recent gun threat against local journalist was a wrong interpretation of his comments.

It may be recalled that what was expected to be an exciting and reflective World Press Freedom Day celebration held in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County, turned rather dismal and confrontational when the director of the Executive Protection Service (EPS) all of a sudden branded Liberian journalists as “terrorists”.

 “Be careful in questioning the integrity of Liberians. Be-careful, because you have your pen and we have our guns. And if you incriminate the character or integrity of Liberians like myself, we would come after you,” he threatened.

In a statement issued in Monrovia Thursday, Warrick said his comments were “obviously misunderstood and may have offended some members of the press.” He claimed in his letter that carried no letterhead and no sender’s name, that his comments were intended to draw a much-needed line and indicate the underlying risk misinformation pose to the safety and wellbeing of the President and Vice President.

“Of course, it has never been my intention or my desire, nor is it reflected in the standard of operating procedures of the EPS, to threaten peaceful citizens or intimidate journalists,” he said in his statement.

At the same time, the Ministry of Information Thursday stated in a statement that it did not believe that Warrick’s comments, or any director for that matter, obviously lacking in authority to pronounce the established position of the government on such matters, ought to concern stakeholders as possessing any capacity to derail the settled policy direction of the government.

Taking a rather belated stance on the matter, the Ministry said it regretted Warrick’s comments because they suggest otherwise to government’s continued efforts aimed at taking deliberate steps to confirm its commitment to improving the operating environment of the Liberian media.