By: Murtala Mohamed Kamara & Jonah B. Mulbah Snr.
Liberia’s former warlord and Nimba County Senator, Prince Yormie Johnson, passed away at 72 in Monrovia.
Johnson gained global attention in 1990 when his rebel forces captured and killed former Liberian President Samuel K. Doe. The senator, known as the Godfather of Nimba County, died on Thursday after falling in his home bathroom and was pronounced dead at Hope For Women Hospital in Paynesville.
EyeWitnessNews correspondent in Liberia says there is a divide in public opinion over the death of Senator Johnson, with some expressing sadness and others feeling a sense of closure.”
Jonah B. Mulbah Sr. says some Liberians are grieving the loss of Senator Johnson, recognizing his contributions to the country during its turbulent past; “however, others see his death as a form of justice for the atrocities committed during the country’s civil war.”
Mulbah Snr. says Johnson’s passing has sparked conversations and reflections on Liberia’s history and the impact it continues to have on the nation today.
Johnson supported President Joseph Boakai in the last election. In an exclusive interview with EyeWitnessNews at the Executive Mansion in Monrovia during Boakai’s inauguration, Johnson expressed optimism for a new direction for Liberia under President Joseph Boakai’s leadership. Johnson said it was the Liberian people who demanded the change. He stated that President Boakai would work in the interest of all Liberians.
Johnson initially aligned with Charles Taylor’s NPFL rebel group during the First Liberian Civil War but later formed his faction, the INPFL, which executed Doe in 1990. After years in exile, Johnson returned to Liberia in 2004, winning a Senate seat and later founded a political party. He made unsuccessful bids for the presidency in 2011 and 2017.
Born in Tapeta, Nimba County, Johnson joined the Liberian National Guard in 1971 and rose through the ranks, eventually serving as aide-de-camp to Gen. Thomas Quiwonkpa before fleeing into exile in 1983.
