-over missing relatives
The families of three young boys, who reportedly went missing after they were hired last year by the manager of the St. Moses Funeral Parlor along Somalia Drive outside Monrovia, have petitioned the 54th Liberian Legislature to probe the whereabouts of their missing relatives.
They petitioned the National Legislature Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at the Capitol. Families representing the victims: Robert M. Blamo, Jr., Siafa G. Boimah and Bobby S. Gbeanquoi narrate that on Saturday, October 17, 2020, it was reported that their three sons allegedly drowned in Fuamah District, lower Bong County after they were contracted by Mr. Moses Ahossoule and Mr. Abraham G. Samuels to do some work for them.
The families claim in their petition that since October 17, 2020 they have engaged the Ministry of Justice, the Liberia National Police, Civil Society and human rights organizations, including the international community and the media on the whereabouts of their lost relatives, but have found no answer.
“It has been close to four months since our children, those young Liberians went missing without any trace and any answer’’, they noted. According to them, they are deeply in grief, pains and agony, and their heart aches and they have had sleepless nights.
The families continue that on November 9, 2020, they released an official statement about the mysterious disappearance of their sons and informed the public of how hard they have worked and were disappointed in the Government of Liberia.
On November 10, 2020 the grieving families peacefully assembled at the premises of Mr. Moses Ahossoule in Gardnersville to draw his attention to their pains and distress, but were allegedly brutalized and mal-handled by the Liberia National Police, using teargas, inflicting wounds and arresting some family members.
Receiving the petition Tuesday on behalf of the Legislature, Montserrado County District#17 Representative Hanson Kaizolu, thanked the families for reaching out to them and promised the petition will go before the full plenary of the House for serious consideration.
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The plenary of the Liberian Senate last week invited the Ministry of Justice and the national security apparatus to appear before that body to provide clarity on the matter.
Discussion over the situation which was brought on the Senate floor by Montserrado County Senator Abraham Darius Dillon, has drawn the attention of the Liberian Senate.
In his deliberation, Senator Dillon said it has been about four months since those three boys got missing and there’s no account whether they are dead or not.
“Moses was my boss man; I know him very well, I played on his band for funeral, wedding and other events. I have to close my eyes on this to seek the welfare of our Liberian citizens [who] no one knows their whereabouts”, he said.
According to Dillon, since the boys went missing, Moses, who is person of interest in the matter walks about freely and moreover, the government still does business with him, carrying bodies of officials at his funeral home, something, he terms as insensitivity.
Family members of the victims now feared dead besieged the funeral parlor last October, demanding its proprietor, Mr. Moses Ahoussouhe, to produce their living bodies, but according to the police, the victims already dead.
Spokesperson for the aggrieved party Lovettee Johnson said their friends and brothers in persons of Robert Blamo, Jr., 29, Siafa and Blama were all motorcycle technicians specialized in heavy duty motor bikes. She narrated the trio were working with Robert Blamo Sr., the father of one of the victims.
According to Lovettee, since Saturday, 15 October 2020 Mr. Ahoussouhe who popularly is called by the name of his funeral home St. Moses, allegedly called the father of the late Blamo, Jr., asking him to allow his son Blamo, Jr. to go to Bomi Hill at the Jungle James Diamond Creek to help fix his motorbike.
But while preparing for service the next day on Sunday morning, Lovettee Johnson narrated further that they were surprised to receive a call, informing them that their children got drowned in the river and since then, their bodies are yet to be found.
