Liberians Protest at UN Headquarters, Boakai Hotel Over Drug Trafficking, "Selective Justice" Claims
The United Nations Secretariat Building in New York (file photo), where the protests took place during the UN General Assembly. Photo: Steve Cadman, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Dozens of Liberians demonstrated outside UN Headquarters and President Boakai's New York hotel during the UN General Assembly, alleging the government is not serious about fighting drug trafficking and applies the law selectively. No evidence was presented, and the government has not yet responded.
Dozens of Liberians gathered outside UN Headquarters and outside President Joseph Boakai's hotel in New York on September 25, 2026, during the 81st UN General Assembly, to protest what they described as the government's failure to seriously confront drug trafficking in Liberia and what they called "selective justice" in how the issue is being handled.
Demonstrators chanted slogans including "Our children are dying. We say no to drugs" and "No to selective justice." Protesters named Police Inspector General Gregory Coleman and called for his removal, with some labeling him a "drug dealer." They pointed to the arrest of a former vice president in a separate case as evidence that low-level or mid-level figures face prosecution while, in their view, more senior officials connected to trafficking allegations remain untouched. Some participants also claimed that President Boakai and his family had faced unspecified online accusations that were never formally investigated.
It is important to note that the protesters did not present evidence to support these specific claims, and the allegations against named individuals remain unverified. Liberia Today is not able to confirm the accuracy of the claims made by demonstrators, and no charges related to these specific allegations have been filed against IG Coleman or any other official named by protesters.
As of this writing, the Liberian government had not issued a public response to the protesters' claims. The demonstration comes amid a broader, months-long cocaine trafficking investigation in Liberia that has previously implicated other current and former officials, including a deputy police commissioner, and against the backdrop of a separate case involving a detained former Highway Patrol chief.
Liberia Today will update this story if the government or named officials respond, and will continue to report on confirmed developments in Liberia's ongoing anti-drug trafficking efforts.