Monrovia — The Ministry of Justice and the Liberia Nationwide Police have clarified that members of the Nationwide Legislature are licensed to make use of sirens and entry the third lane on correctly recognized automobiles, days after a strongly worded site visitors crackdown round sparked confusion and confrontation on main roads throughout Monrovia.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected] / Emmanuel Weedee, [email protected]
The clarification was made in the course of the eleventh day sitting of the primary quarter of the third session of the Home of Representatives, when Deputy Minister for Administration on the Ministry of Justice, Cllr. Cora N. Konuwa and Deputy Inspector Common for Operations of the Liberia Nationwide Police, Cllr. J. Nelson Freeman appeared earlier than the plenary to handle issues from lawmakers concerning the Ministry’s February 10, 2026, press launch regulating the set up and use of sirens underneath the Automobile and Visitors Legislation.
The February 10 launch, signed by Jutonu Y. Kollie, Director of Press and Public Affairs on the Ministry of Justice, warned towards what it described because the rising misuse of sirens by unauthorized individuals for functions unrelated to official emergency response.
The assertion emphasised that such actions undermine public security, site visitors self-discipline, and the credibility of emergency providers. “For the avoidance of doubt, siren privileges will not be hooked up to public workplace, rank, standing, or place. Ministers, legislators, judges, heads of companies, political appointees, non-public safety escorts, and personal residents will not be licensed to put in or use sirens except their automobiles fall squarely throughout the classes offered by regulation.
Accordingly, solely these automobiles expressly acknowledged underneath the Automobile and Visitors Legislation, and people particularly licensed by the Ministry of Justice in accordance with the regulation, shall be permitted to put in and function sirens. No particular person, workplace, or establishment might assume or train this privilege outdoors of the statutory framework,” Kollie acknowledged within the launch.
Following the issuance of that assertion, site visitors enforcement reportedly intensified on a number of main routes in Monrovia, with some lawmakers alleging that their automobiles have been stopped for utilizing sirens or driving within the third lane.
Members of the Home of Representatives argued that the Ministry’s place appeared to contradict provisions of the Amended Visitors and Automobile Legislation of 2018.
Consultant Thomas Goshua of District 5, Grand Bassa County, challenged the round throughout plenary. “I wish to let you already know that the Amended Visitors and Automobile Legislation of 2018 is in impact. How is it now that the Minister of Justice is issuing a round that retains embarrassing us? This has put us towards the general public; they jeer at us at any time when our automobiles are parked by the police for even utilizing the third lane,” he mentioned.
In response, Deputy Minister Konuwa clarified that the Ministry had no intention of stripping lawmakers of privileges granted underneath the prevailing regulation.
“There isn’t any intention to cease lawmakers from utilizing sirens and or the third lane. It’s solely that there are procedures or classes of automobiles, equivalent to the problem of the plate, registration, and so forth,” she advised lawmakers.
Deputy Inspector Common Freeman additionally addressed the plenary and pressured that the enforcement drive was directed at unauthorized people who had put in sirens with out authorized backing.
He defined that officers such because the President, the Vice President, members of the Judiciary, and members of the Legislature function inside frameworks outlined by regulation, and that cops have been instructed to implement site visitors laws whereas respecting privileges granted by statute.
He emphasised that enforcement actions weren’t meant to undermine legally acknowledged officers however to curb abuse of emergency units by these not licensed.
The looks of the Justice Ministry and Police authorities successfully reaffirmed that lawmakers might use sirens and entry the third lane on duly registered and correctly recognized automobiles in step with the amended regulation.
The controversy surrounding using sirens and the third lane, nonetheless, dates again to June 2018, when members of the Nationwide Legislature amended the Automobile and Visitors Legislation of 1972. The modification, which critics say was carried out with out broad public session, expanded exemptions for senior authorities officers and members of the Legislature.
Underneath that amended framework, automobiles owned or operated by particular officers and convoys have been exempted from site visitors stops. These listed included the convoy of the President, the convoy of the President’s partner, the convoy of the Vice President, the convoy of a former President, the convoy of a former Vice President, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Protection, the Minister of State, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of International Affairs, the Chief of Employees and Deputy Chief of Employees, the convoy of the Speaker of the Home of Representatives, the convoy of the President Professional Tempore of the Senate, members of the Legislature, the convoy of the Chief Justice, Affiliate Justices of the Supreme Courtroom, the Liberia Nationwide Police, and different companies throughout the nationwide safety equipment as could also be designated by the President of Liberia.
The amended provisions have remained controversial since 2018, with critics arguing that they successfully exclude lawmakers and sure senior officers from adhering to straightforward guidelines of the highway.
Critics contend that the regulation permits exemptions from site visitors stops and shields sure officers from enforcement measures that might in any other case apply to odd motorists, elevating issues about equality earlier than the regulation and highway security.
One of many vocal critics is Senator Abraham Darius Dillon. Earlier than the passage of the regulation, Senator Dillon expressed his opposition, terming it a nasty regulation that shouldn’t be handed.
However in a press release posted on his official Fb web page, Senator Dillon identified that the third lane regulation handed by members of the 53rd Nationwide Legislature is “unhealthy”.
He noticed that Liberia doesn’t have a “third lane” and, as such, granting such a privilege to state officers and others doesn’t make any sense.
“The 53rd Legislature enacted a brand new Legislation that now grants rights to a sure class of public officers, together with Lawmakers, Affiliate Justices, Cupboard Ministers, and so forth., to make use of the “third Lane” within the vehicular site visitors. I’m right here questioning whether or not we’ve any “third Lane” in Liberia, or the mentioned Legislation merely permits the privileged public officers the precise to intrude into the free motion of the alternative site visitors”.
“I maintain strongly that this new Legislation is unhealthy; it’s towards the general public good and towards public security. We can be reviewing this newest Legislation to make sense of it, and the place obligatory, submit a Draft Act to evaluate, regulate, and or repeal the identical.”
Nevertheless, supporters of the modification argue that the exemptions are obligatory to make sure the uninterrupted motion of high-ranking officers performing essential nationwide duties, notably throughout emergencies or security-sensitive operations.
The occasions of the previous week have revived public debate over the scope and interpretation of the 2018 modification. Whereas the Ministry of Justice maintains that its February 10, 2026, launch was meant to handle widespread abuse of sirens by unauthorized people, the next clarification earlier than the Home underscores the authorized standing of lawmakers underneath the amended statute.
