MONROVIA – The Remains of Liberian journalist Zenu Miller was on Saturday laid to rest following an emotional funeral service attended by family members, friends and media colleagues.
Large crowd gathered early Saturday morning at the Freedom Worship Center in Congo Town, the outskirt of Monrovia before the casket carrying the body of the fallen journalist arrived for the funeral.
At the funeral, mourners including friends and families could not hold back tears as they eulogized the fallen journalist.
The family’s spokesperson called him a “loving father” whose absence will be missed forever.
“You were indeed a loving father to our grandchildren. The vacuum you left in our lives will never be filled,” he said.
His son, bravely reading his late father’s life sketch said his father was loving and caring, adding: “Daddy, nobody will be able to fill the vacuum you have left in our lives.”
The officiating clergyman said the fallen Liberia journalist “left a good legacy and had a gift he used to benefit the nation.”
The Government of Liberia was represented by Deputy Presidential Press Secretary, Smith Toby and flanked by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Samuel Tweah and Education Minister Prof., Ansu Sonii.
The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) led by its Vice President, Daniel Nyakonah and several media institutions including Okay FM (where he lastly worked), Renaissance communications Inc., Crystal FM and Media Aid Foundation (MAF) all paid homage to him.
“You were indeed a loving father to our grandchildren. The vacuum you left in our lives will never be filled”
The late Miller, 42, died on February 15 last month at the ELWA Hospital.
The family, quoting hospital records said he died of hypertension and stroke.
However, prior to his death, Miller complained of been flogged by the Executive Protection Service (EPS), an elite paramilitary group responsible to provide security for the President, Vice President of Liberia and other VIPs.
He announced the incident on his Facebook page and complained of being ignored by his friends and employer, the Management of Okay FM.
He also announced that he was seeking treatment at the hospital over chest pain he suffered from the alleged brutality.
But the EPS boss, Trokon Roberts, has since denied the allegation, saying, as a trained United Nations security expert, he will never be allowed the EPS to treat peaceful citizens under his watch in such an inhumane way.
Miller’s death has claimed both national and international attention.
The Press Union of Liberia (PUL) and other media colleagues called for a thorough investigation into the incident.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for an investigation into the death of broadcast the broadcast journalist Zenu Miller who died just a few weeks after he was allegedly brutalized by agents of the EPS while covering a national sports tournament at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex.
The CPJ is an American independent non-profit, non-governmental organization, based in New York City, New York with correspondents around the world. It is in the vanguard of promoting press freedom and defends the rights of journalists.
Amid the pressure and controversy, the Government of Liberia pledged to conduct an autopsy to establish the actual cause of death, but the deceased’s family said they respect the medical report from the hospital.