The Monrovia City Court under the gavel of Magistrate Wanda Sanda has released John Whitfield unto his lawyer and the Overseas Economic Insurance Company following the filing of a US$1,500.00 Criminal Appearance Bond.

	• Mr. John Whitfield

Suspect Whitfield filed the Bond after the Liberian National Police, according to law, forwarded him to the Monrovia City Court for prosecution.

Police last Thursday arrested Mr. Whitefield, Secretary General of the former ruling National Patriotic Party (NPP), following the search and subsequent discovery of gun (single-barrel) at his Congo Town resident.

The action to search his home came after he had made a public pronouncement on radio of being in possession of firearm and ammunition for what he called “self protection” in the wake of the upsurge of criminal activities across the city.

Authority of the LNP charged him with “Illegal Possession of Fire Arm and Ammunition” and later forwarded him to court.

According to court records, the US$1,500.00 Bond filed by suspect Whitfield as surety from the Overseas Economic Insurance Company expected to last for the period of one up the time of the commencement and the end of the trial of the accused.

Though released on Bail, Suspect Whitfield is expected to appear in Court on Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 10. At the same time, the Monrovia City Court is currently in possession of the gun and ammunition said to be retrieved from his (Whitfield’s) home by the police.

The Analyst has established that said weapons are expected to be used against the NPP Secretary General during the trial as evidence.

Cllr. T. C. Gould, Chairman of the NPP of which the accused is secretary general is representing defendant Whitfield while Attorney Sam T. Solomon who is assigned at the Monrovia City Court, representing the Government of Liberia.

Meanwhile, the National Patriotic Party (NPP) says the Liberian government should see his confession as being done in good faith.

According to the party, it also means that government needs to put in place a system whereby those who may be in possession of arms can register them.

The party in a statement also called on its partisans to remain calm as it is doing everything to ensure the release of the Secretary.

Whitfield’s Mouth Leads Him To Trouble

It is said in the holy Bible that “He who preserves his mouth preserves is life,” and there is no doubt that happenings with the Secretary General of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) points to the truthfulness of the statement. John Whitfield, a one time powerful personality in the Taylor Government has fallen into trouble for his own mouth, having gone and radio and bragged of possessing a gun.

He thought he was doing something worthwhile, but it turns to be the other way. As reporter Nathaniel Daygbor reports, Whitfield spent the night behind bars.

Police in Monrovia yesterday picked up the Secretary General of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) John Whitfield, hours after he had publicly announced his possession of arm to “defend himself” against armed robbers.

Not only has he been arrested, but it is reported as well that the police confiscated the arm he bragged of having when he appeared on radio yesterday morning following a search of his home. This paper has learnt that the NPP Secretary General is presently at the Zone Three Depot in Congo Town.

It is gathered that police officers late yesterday afternoon swamped the home of Whitfield for the purpose of searching and arresting him, but things reportedly went out of hands.

Thus, former Solicitor General and Chairman of the National Patriotic Party, Cllr. Theophilus Gould intervened by escorting Mr. John Whitfield to the headquarters of the Liberia National Police on Capital Hill.

Following series of formality at the headquarters as far as issues of such are concerned, the NPP chief scribe was escorted to his home where a “single barrel gun” was said to have been retreated by the police.

He was taken back to the police headquarters where he is presently perhaps awaiting to be formally charged. Before then, it is also gathered that security officers went to the officers of Truth FM to inquire of his whereabouts minutes after the end of the show on which he appeared.

The search of his home and subsequent arrest are against the backdrop of statement he made on Truth FM’s popular talk show, The Truth Breakfast (TBS) when he bragged of having in his possession a “gun” for self-defense. “I have a gun, and I use it for my defense because the Government cannot protect us,” he said openly.

Whitfield eloquently defended himself when he quizzed as to whether the Government of Liberia was aware of his possession of gun. Whitfield’s pronouncement of having gun for “self-defense” came in the wake of statement attributed to Solicitor General, Cllr. Tiawon Gongloe that citizens should avoid the streets during the midnight hours as not be harmed by criminals, who have taken over the city.

The NPP Stewart said he has all rights to have a gun to protect himself because of the wave of criminality that has engulfed and government’s professed inability to protect its citizens. According to him, there are indications that the Unity Party-led government has failed to protect its citizens, who they took oaths to protect.

Except for security officers, it is illegal for any citizens to have guns in their possession which is not approved by the government. As it is, the government is even finding it hard to put guns in the hands of the police to provide the needed protection for its citizens, owing to the increase in armed robberies and other related crimes.

President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on Wednesday acknowledged that the general security in the country is bad and even attributed it to the ineffectiveness of the police.

Twenty hours after the president’s acknowledgement of the badness of the security situation, armed robbers stepped up their mayhem in the Paynesville area. According to reports, armed robbers attacked several persons and made away with valuable items.