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Claim: A Facebook user, Hon. Sattiah A Sattiah, has alleged that the Police IG called ClIr. Koffa to ask for his forgiveness, “because he was pressured politically to do what he did.”
Verdict: False! Cllr. Koffa disclosed that at no time did the police IG call him to apologise.
Full Text
A Facebook user, named Hon. Sattiah A. Sattiah, has claimed that the Inspector General (IG), Col. Gregory O. Coleman of the Liberia National Police (LNP), has called Counsellor Jonathan Fomati Koffa to ask for forgiveness.
According to Sattiah, the police IG called Cllr Koffa to apologise for his arrest and incarceration for three days in connection with the Capitol Building arson attack.
Using his official Facebook page, Sattiah claimed, “This Ingrate just called ClIr. Koffa is to ask for forgiveness because he was pressured politically to do what he did.”
The claim attracted over 100 comments and 21 shares.
Why this claim?
This claim came a day after Cllr. Koffa, who is also the immediate past speaker of the House of Representatives and sitting representative of Grand Kru County district #2, and four other lawmakers were accused, charged, and sent to jail on remand in connection with the December 18, 2024, arson attack on the Liberian House of Representatives.
On December 18, 2024, during the early morning hours, the Liberian Legislature or the Capitol Building was set ablaze, leaving that building severely damaged.
Since the incident, a joint security task force comprising the Liberia National Police (LNP) and the National Fire Service of Liberia (NFSL) has launched a full-scale investigation. It has arrested several individuals, the latest being the five lawmakers.
Former House Speaker, Clrr. J. Fornati Koffa, Montserrado County districts 15, 16, and 5 representatives, Abu B. Kamara, Dixon Seboe, and Prescilla Cooper, respectively, and Grand Gedeh County district #3 representative, Jacob C. Debee, are the five-seated lawmakers facing many charges in connection with the arson attack on the Capitol Building.
Due to the controversial nature of the claim, DUBAWA decided to investigate it as part of its efforts to promote truth in public discourse.
Verification
To begin with, the researcher contacted the claimant, Hon. Sattiah A. Sattiah, via Messenger to request evidence about his claim, but he refused to provide any.
However, in an interview with journalists on the court grounds on Monday, June 9, 2025, former Speaker Koffa said that he did not receive any call from Police IG Col. Gregory O. Coleman.
The former speaker, now accused, said, “I did not see any call from any police IG, so tell him not to call me.”
Conclusion
Based on the assertion made by former speaker Koffa, the claim made by Hon. Sattiah A Sattiah that the police IG called ClIr. Koffa’s to ask for forgiveness is false.
