After a couple of days of the incident, the president has made changes at the Executive Mansion targeting strategic security positions. The changes came at a time Liberians have been overwhelmed by rumors of a sinister motive behind the Independence Day Executive Mansion fire.  

In the wake of the Executive Mansion’s drastic changes, there are rumors that former LURD’s leader, Sekou Damante Conneh and former Presidential Affairs minister and Executive Mansion chief of staff, Morris Dukuly held secret meeting in Dukuly’s office prior to the incident.  

 Besa body is a brief pithy utterance used by Liberians to refer to deceptive or distorted information that is systematically spread among or within a community or special group, including government, social, political, and religious organizations and the likes. 

Literarily, besa in Liberian interpretation means “the act of running cheap propaganda to win favor from someone for certain gain-either to be fitted within or spoil it for everyone to lose it. “Body” is the person who engages in such acts. Besa body agents are usually the buddies, aides, guards, or those that have some social or tribal connections to the recipient of their besa.  

Besa body was first discovered among friends. Later, it advanced to the community level; then found its way in the government. Besa body became most populous from 1980 when some members of the Armed Forces of Liberia stormed the political arena through the defunct People Redemption Council (PRC). 

The first victims of besa body in the PRC government were six senior PRC members including the vice head of state, Thomas Weh-Sen. Togbah-Nah Tipoteh, then minister of Planning and Economic Affairs made a U-turn at the Felix Houphouet Boigny’s International Airport in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast upon hearing that he was implicated in a coup to overthrow the PRC government. 

Numerous dismissals and reshuffles were also derived from deceptive and distorted information to late Samuel Doe. Arbitrary arrests, detentions, and executions were carried out based on this kind of practice that government formally calls informants or intelligence. 

Former dictator, Charles Taylor’s regime practiced besa body worst than any Liberian government. In fact, his was equal to that of post Nazi “Grudge Informers.”  During Charles Taylor regime, besa body was openly the order of the day through which Taylor’s so-called informants operated.  

Liberians, UN and international political analysts have blamed the decade and half of civil war on tribalism, corruption, and political gimmickry. But one common enemy that is and has been undetected is 'besa body'. I remember former Justice Minister Jenkins KZB Scott, after being overwhelmed by rumor mongering, said, “Liberians can pay their own fares to carry lies.”  

Before he made the remarks, Doe regime had already been engulfed by rumors. The late Doe, after several unreasonable dismissals and reshuffles, arbitrary arrests, detentions, and executions, confessed that he was being misled by those that he trusted as advisors-who ate and drank with him, and who were politically inclined.  

Other than Morris Dukuly’s resignation, eye brows have been raised at the bases for the changes at the Executive Mansion, especially at a time when investigation into the fire incident is still pending.