International

Snakes force Liberian President out of office

Published

5 years ago

April 19, 2019

Liberian President, George Weah, was forced to work from his private residence as two black snakes were found in his office.

Press secretary, Smith Toby, told the BBC that the snakes were discovered on Wednesday in the foreign affairs ministry building, Weah’s official place of work.

All staff were also directed to stay away from the office until 22 April.

“It’s just to make sure that crawling and creeping things get fumigated from the building,” Toby said.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosts the office of the president, so it did an internal memo asking the staff to stay home while they do the fumigation,” he said.

The office of the president has been based in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since a fire in 2006 gutted the nearby presidential mansion.

Toby explained that the snakes were never killed, there was a little hole somewhere [through which] they made their way back.

He added that the ministry of Foreign Affairs started to fumigate on Friday.

Police and presidential security were seen guarding Weah’s residence in the capital Monrovia. A fleet of vehicles including escorts jeeps were parked outside.

“That building’s been there for years now, and [because of] the drainage system, the possibility of having things like snakes crawling in that building was high,” he said.

The president is expected to return to his office on Monday after the fumigation whether or not the snakes are found and killed.

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