TOO MANY families are living with the pain of cruelly losing a loved one without even understanding the circumstances surrounding their death or even getting justice for the deceased, despite all rational thinking pointing to foul play.
THIS HAS BEEN the culture in Liberia since the end of the civil war in 2003. Several mysterious deaths have been left unexplained and families of victims continue to live with the grief and anger.
THE DEATHS of the auditors of the Liberia Revenue Authority (LRA) and the Director General of the Internal Audit Agency (IAA) have almost become an extinguished topic though nothing substantial about their deaths has been uncovered or explained to the public.
THE MANNER and form in which the state security began the investigation has already left the grieving families doubting if there would be any true outcome, yet, little has been done to boost confidence in the investigation.
AND TO DATE, the police has not only remained mute, but has been unable to effect any arrest since the first two deaths were discovered on October 2.
THIS IS WHY it doesn’t come as a surprise to us that a concerned Liberian, a philanthropist and his family, Dr. Daniel E. Cassell, would be concerned about the grief the family is going through.
IN A DISPATCH, Dr. Cassell wrote:
“TO ME, the grieving widows, widower, children, other relatives, friends, and for many Liberians, at home and abroad, the lives and mysterious deaths of Albert, Gifty, George and Emmanuel matter. Our Liberian society risks being defined by these lives, and yet, the unexplainable deaths.
“UNDERSTANDABLY, these families are hurting. For some, they have lost the person who headed, and in some cases, held their families together. Many lives in these families will be long impacted by the loss they have traumatically sustained. My thoughts and prayers are with all of these families, and I appeal to all Liberians of faith to join in prayers for these deeply afflicted families.”
“AS THE HEAD of my family and a father, my heart is broken knowing that as these families grieve and mourn the shocking and tragic deaths of their loved ones, they are still without the answers they need to help them heal, and hopefully bring much-needed closure to the difficult experiences of their loss. I know that nothing we will do will dull the pains of their loss. However, it cannot also be said that we did not do all that we could, individually and collectively, to help these grieving families find the closures they need to heal.”
FINDING REASONABLE closure is also good for our society. Therefore, it falls upon all of us to do all that we can so that our country remains a safe space for all to live, work and care for their loved ones.
INDEED, no society can stop the commission of all crimes. However, no society can be truly free, and hope to be safe, where alleged crimes are not thoroughly investigated, alleged perpetrators apprehended, justice is dutifully served, and the sanctity of life is jealously protected and preserved. Therefore, as long as these deaths remain mysterious and unexplainable, the trauma of fear would envelop our society. No society can realistically thrive in freedom and justice when its people are overcome by fear.”
AS A HEART-BROKEN philanthropist, he and his family have offered a bounty for anyone who would give any vital information that would lead to the arrest of the perpetrators of the deaths.
THE L$5,000,000 cash offer by the Dr. Daniel E. Cassell Foundation is intended to assist the Liberia National Police accelerate investigation into the deaths of the auditors.
THIS IS AN offer we wish to see the Liberia National Police taking advantage of to ensure that justice is served.
LETTING THESE deaths slide without finding the perpetrators or showing an unbiased commitment to ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice would further erode the trust in the country’s security sector. This could lead to citizens taking the law into their own hands to ensure their personal safety and serving themselves justice. There is no need to remind actors in the security sector the consequences of citizens beginning to serve themselves justice.
A Hint to the Wise.