A wave of reversals and official clarifications is reshaping the narrative around former Monrovia City Mayor Jefferson Tamba Koijee, with several individuals who once propagated allegations against him now publicly reversing their positions.
The process began with a bombshell confession from abroad. In June 2023, Jestina Taylor, a former political figure now in the United States, used her podcast to retract previous grave accusations she had levied against Mr. Koijee. Taylor, who had alleged violent reprisals from the former mayor, stated her original story was “a lie hatched by talk show host Henry Pedro Costa” for political gain. She claimed to have been manipulated by Costa and businessman Benoni Urey, who she said used her predicament to fabricate statements implicating Koijee in crimes, including arms possession, which he did not commit. Taylor revealed her lawyers had engaged private investigators to review all allegations and had advised her against further comment pending their findings.
This high-profile retraction has been followed by a series of recent developments from within Liberia. On today, January 9, 2026, Momo Johnson, a vocal supporter of the ruling Unity Party, published a detailed Facebook post defending Koijee against what he termed “years of fabricated allegations.” Johnson focused on the 2021 Caldwell land-dispute murder accusation, noting that a family spokesperson interviewed at the time explicitly stated Koijee was never involved. He emphasized that no evidence ever emerged, no arrest was made, and Koijee was never charged. Johnson also cited a pattern of other allegations—from electoral violence to travel bans—which he argues have been consistently disproven.
Adding a journalistic perspective, Lennart Dodoo, Managing Editor of The Liberian Investigator, formally refuted a March 2021 report on December 13, 2025. The report had alleged Koijee assaulted him and confiscated his equipment. Dodoo labeled the story false, calling for a correction and stating, “As a media professional, truth and accuracy must always come first.”
The most authoritative clearance came from state institutions. On July 23, 2024, the Liberia National Police (LNP), under Inspector General Col. Gregory O. W. Coleman, announced it had reviewed the January 2023 arms importation case. The LNP reaffirmed the original investigation’s integrity, identified Boyd Benjamin Baker as the sole suspect, and explicitly stated that its review found no evidence linking Jefferson Koijee to the weapons.
Further contributing to this trend, social media activist Matina Konateh recently issued a live Facebook apology for falsely linking Koijee to the murder case connected to former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott. “I lied on Jefferson Koijee,” Konateh admitted directly. Despite these domestic developments, Jefferson Koijee remains under international sanction. The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated him on December 9, 2023, under the Global Magnitsky Act, citing allegations of serious human rights abuse and corruption. Mr. Koijee has consistently rejected the basis of these sanctions, maintaining his innocence.
Collectively, these retractions and official statements from a diverse set of sources—a former accuser, a political opponent’s supporter, a journalist, the national police, and an activist—present a concerted challenge to a range of long-standing allegations against the former mayor, creating a significant shift in his public legal and reputational standing within Liberia.