The Executive Protection Service (EPS), Liberia’s elite security unit tasked with guarding the country’s top brass, has drawn a hard line in the sand: if you’re in power and you’re calling for rebellion, don’t expect their protection.
In a statement that sent a stern message to the corridors of power, the EPS announced it will withdraw security protection from any VIP official who openly calls for insurrection, violent protest, or rebellion against the government. This bold stance follows what the agency describes as “deeply concerning” public utterances from some government officials, comments they say amount to incitement and a direct threat to national peace.
While the statement stopped short of naming names, its timing has fueled speculation. Tensions have been simmering in recent weeks, with a few high-ranking voices growing increasingly critical of the administration, some going as far as hinting at mass mobilizations or defiance of state authority.
But according to the EPS, that kind of rhetoric crosses a line.
“Any protectee who actively engages in or incites violence or rebellion against the government forfeits the privilege of EPS protection,” the agency stated, emphasizing that its core mandate is to safeguard national stability, not to enable those who want to tear it down.
Under Liberian law, the EPS is charged with protecting the President, Vice President, their immediate families, foreign dignitaries, and senior officials designated by the President. That privilege, the EPS made clear, comes with expectations of conduct aligned with the law and the peaceful order of the state.
“We cannot and will not be used as an instrument to undermine the peace, security, and constitutional order of the Republic,” the statement reads.
Behind the formal language lies a powerful warning: government security is not a shield for those who flirt with destabilization.
As the political season heats up and battle lines become more defined, this message from the EPS could be a game-changer. It sets a tone, draws a line, and makes it known that state protection isn’t unconditional.
Is this a sign of discipline in a fragile democracy, or is it the beginning of a power struggle where security is wielded as leverage? Either way, the message is loud and clear: if you want EPS protection, don’t call for war.
