Monrovia – Former Foreign Minister of Liberia Olubangi King Akerele has condemned the ‘widespread’ extra-judicial killings of innocent people across the country.
Speaking at the third graduation ceremony of the Koffi Anna Institute of Conflict transformation, Madam King-Akerele said the mysterious killings are real and Government should step up its game to put an end to them.
“The killings that are taking place in this nation today are real. They are on the increase due to lack of serious investigation and lack of capacity to tackle the investigation,” Madam King-Akerele said.
Under the current administration, there have been series of mysterious deaths; some involving the murder of high profile Liberians.
In November, the Rev. Dr. William R. Tolbert III, Liberia’s Peace Ambassador and son of former President William R. Tolbert Jr. was murdered in cold blood. A little over a month earlier, Mr. John Hilary Tubman, son of former President William V.S. Tubman, was found dead in his Fiamah residence in Sinkor. His alleged killer has been arrested.
Mrs. King-Akerele told the audience that the situation has been so troubling that she, along with several high profile women visited the Justice Minister Cllr. Frank Musa Dean six months ago to express their disappointment and urge the government through him to tackle the continued extrajudicial killings.
However, she said to their surprised, the Attorney General downplayed their request and told them that there was no mysterious or extra judicial killings as being reported; rather, they were just mere propaganda.
“Ladies and gentlemen, six months later the killings continue. The killings are real and something got to be done,” she said.
She called on Liberians to form a united front in calling the government to task to end these mysterious killings.
The former Foreign Minister’s statement comes on the back of a wave protests amid the deaths of several people under somewhat mysterious circumstances – though in most instances, the Government denied that there were foul play.
In the latest incident, the Liberia National Police was compelled to clarify that Emmanuel Cooper, a local activist, died of a motor cycle accident and not under mysterious circumstance as being perceived by a segment of the public.
Earlier, the police suffered widespread criticism over the poor handling of the investigation of Princess Cooper’s death. Ms. Cooper was pronounced dead at the John F. Kennedy Hospital after she was found unconscious at a retail store at ELWA Junction on March 24, 2o22. A Government’s sanctioned autopsy report said she died of TB, but her family rejected the report.
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