The Cubana Group has dismissed attempts to link its Chairman, Obi Cubana, to the drug trafficking and money laundering allegations involving former Liberian Vice-President Jewel Howard-Taylor.
Howard-Taylor was arrested on August 19, 2026, at Roberts International Airport and has reportedly been charged with several offences, including drug trafficking, conspiracy, criminal facilitation and money laundering.
The development has renewed attention on her past dealings and a 2021 visit by Nigerian businessmen to Liberia. Photographs from the visit, showing Howard-Taylor with Obi Cubana, E-Money and Kennedy “Ned” Okonkwo, have recently resurfaced online.
The Cubana Group said the visit was a legitimate trade and investment mission focused on exploring opportunities in tourism, hospitality, real estate, agriculture and other sectors.
According to the group, the meeting with Howard-Taylor was conducted openly because she was Liberia’s serving Vice-President at the time and was involved in promoting investment in the country.
The organisation also cited comments reportedly made by Howard-Taylor in a 2023 interview, in which she described Obi Cubana as part of a wider trade delegation seeking business opportunities in Liberia, particularly in tourism.
The group further referenced contemporaneous reports that mentioned discussions about potential investments, including a proposed five-star hotel and agricultural projects.
It maintained that none of the available reports establishes any connection between Obi Cubana or the other Nigerian businessmen and the criminal allegations currently facing Howard-Taylor.
The Cubana Group therefore described attempts to connect the 2021 meeting with the former vice-president’s current legal troubles as speculative and an example of guilt by association.
It urged the media and the public to consider the circumstances of the visit based on the information available at the time, stressing that any allegations against Howard-Taylor should be determined through evidence and due process.
The organisation reaffirmed its commitment to legitimate business, investment, job creation and the expansion of African enterprises across international markets.
