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ADNews-Monrovia,Liberia:A top officer of the Liberia National Police (LNP), serving in the R3 position under Inspector General Gregory O. W. Coleman, continues to use his public office to intimidate and harass journalists investigating corrupt deals within the busines community.
The officer, identified as Larry S. Browne, is reportedly shielding business associates from media scrutiny, despite journalism not being a criminal offence in Liberia.
Browne’s associates have continued to use his influence within the police force to target journalists who report or investigate stories involving individuals or companies linked to him.
Two of his benefactors, Hawa Ndama and Siaffa Rennie, have publicly boasted of their connections with police authorities, claiming they can silence journalists through law enforcement intimidation.
Tennyson T. Torplue, CEO of Rescue TV, has been targeted twice by police acting on Browne’s orders for reporting and investigating stories about businesses or individuals connected to Browne’s business allies.
Ndama, the Human Resource Manager of Diamond Mineral Water, and Rennie, a businessman involved in the sale of cooking gas, have been using their connections with Browne to suppress unfavorable media coverage.
In a video circulated online, Ndama admitted to ordering officers of the Crime Services Division (CSD) at police headquarters to detain journalist Torplue for reporting that her company was allegedly distributing contaminated water.
“I met one of the journalists who reported on our company and ordered the CSD to detain him,” Ndama said in the video. “But when the CEO was not in the country, he requested that we proceed through the courts instead of an arrest, so I told the people to release him.”
Second Arrest Incident Reported
On Monday, November 3, 2025, Torplue and other journalists visited a local cooking gas company on Boulevard Road in Monrovia, claimed to be owned by Rennie, an ally of Browne.
Shortly after, Rennie placed a call to Browne, he dispatched police officers to arrest the journalists for “simply doing their work.
Instead of referring the case to the nearby Zone 3 Police Station, Browne ordered the journalists detained at his central Police office, where they spent several hours under interrogation and intimidation.
In a separate audio recording obtained by reporters, Rennie can be heard saying he would “use the police to go after journalists anytime and anywhere without regret.”
When contacted for comment, Officer Larry S. Browne declined to respond. He was reached via phone call and messages on both WhatsApp and SMS at the number 0770-525-049, but did not reply.
His action is a clear manifestation that the President Joseph Nuyma Boakai regime continues to target journalists amidst global efforts to protect the free press.
Investigation continues
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