-Dr. Whapoe claims police chief inept
Opposition Vision for Liberia Transformation Party (VOLT) political leader Dr. Jeremiah Z. Whapoe is calling on President George Manneh Weah to dismiss Police Inspector General Col. Patrick T. Sudue over the police chief’s alleged failure to protect citizens’ lives, following mysteriously gruesome deaths of four auditors and disappearance of three other young men.
“Crime has been committed, somebody has been accused, up to now arrest has not been made, investigation has not been [launched]. What is he doing there? Let him get out! Let Patrick Sudue get out, period!” Dr. Whapoe said during a press conference Friday, 23 October at his party office located in Gbangay Town, Sinkor.
“We overheard the issue of St. Moses that three people, three young men were taken away and allegedly reported dead but the bodies have not been discovered. And this is the same thing I am talking, Patrick Sudue is inept to protect the lives of the citizens of this nation,” Dr. Whapoe says.
Reading a press statement, Dr. Whapoe says his party VOLT unequivocally condemns “the killing of Liberians especially, the slaying of Mr. Albert Peters, Auditor of LRA, Mrs. Gifty Ashmah Lamah, [Auditor], LRA, Mr. George Fahnbutu, Auditor, LRA and Mr. Emmanuel Batten Nyeswau, Auditor, Internal Auditing Authority.”
Dr. Whapoe says if President Weah doesn’t dismiss Col. Sudue as head of the Liberia National Police (LNP), the president owes the Liberian people some explanation as to why he should not be held as an accomplice to the crimes being committed against the Liberian people.
“He has to explain why he should not be held as an accessory before and after the fact of the crime committed against the Liberian people,” Dr. Whapoe says.
On Thursday, 22 October police authorities said autopsies had been concluded on the corpses of the four auditors and the outcomes would be submitted within 14 days.
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But Dr. Whapoe notes that autopsy does not determine who did what, but it will determine what the cause of death is, adding that “we want those who were responsible to be arrested, they should be investigated.”
He wonders if it is only the auditors’ season to die, expressing fear that tomorrow “they” could go after the politicians, pastors and other groups of people will be targeted sooner or later.
“Look, this investigation we’re talking about, let me tell you, this government is notorious of investigating and hiding the result and don’t come to light so we know that already. And secondly, what are we investigating? Anytime a crime is committed, for the crime to have a fruitful result to the public, the crime should be investigated within 24 hours,” he argues.
He insists that once the crime is not investigated within the first 24 hours it becomes a cold case saying, he does not see any fact coming from the investigation “especially when we heard the president saying, oh people died, boyfriend and girlfriend went to do their thing, they died.”
He ponders how boyfriend and girlfriend went to do their thing and decided to die on Broad Street, describing President Weah’s government as a complete failure.
Dr. Whapoe clarifies that he is not accusing the government of carrying out extrajudicial killings, but notes that there is extrajudicial killing going on in the country.
“It is government’s responsibility to protect and provide protection for all citizens. In the absence of that, then the government will be questioned why are these things going on and you are not taking the necessary action,” Dr. Whapoe adds.
He indicates that VOLT’s attention has been attracted to the wave of extra judicial killing or summary execution of Liberian citizens under the watchful eyes of the George Weah CDC – led government.
“The VOLT Party holds to the fact that the annihilation of these professionals does not only create a brain drain in the country but was masterminded and skillfully executed by bunch of misanthrope savages,” Dr. Whapoe laments.
He further condemns the Liberia National Police force headed by Inspector General Patrick Sudu for its inactivity and incompetency in protecting the lives and properties of the Liberian people.
He suggests that the constitutional provisions that guarantee the rights of all citizens are either being ignored or willingly violated by the government since its ascendance to power.
He reminds the LNP that its responsibilities include but are not limited to serving and maintaining law and order in the country by protecting members of the public and their property, preventing crime, reducing the fear of crime and improving the quality of life for all citizens.
He adds that the police have the responsibility to assist in crime scene investigation, gather and secure evidence, and to monitor suspects, among others.
“These responsibilities, Inspector Patrick Sudu has proven beyond all doubts that he is dilettantish to discharge such duty as evident by his inability to investigate, arrest and bring to justice in the first twenty four hours of the wave of killing of Liberians including the four auditors that were murdered within eight days,” Dr. Whapoe alleges;.
“The VOLT party now therefore, [calls] on President George Weah to dismiss Inspector Sudu with immediate effect to deter the culture of ineptitude as it has been embraced by the inspector and the entire police administration,” he notes.
He warns that any attempt by the President and the CDC – led government to ignore the call to dismiss Col. Sudu will not only lead the Liberian people to abhor this government, but the president has to explain why he shouldn’t be held as an accomplice, accessory before the fact or after the fact for the alleged murderous crime being committed against the Liberian people.
“The VOLT party further [calls] upon all political actors, members of the diplomatic [corps], civil society, religious groupings, ordinary citizens that the mysterious extermination of the professional auditors and willfully or vincible arrogance by the police authority to bring to justice the culprit within the first 24 hours of the commission of said crime should be [juxtaposed] to the [fairy tales] “Animal Farm,” he says.
Dr. Whapoe explains that in the Animal Farm fairy tales, the killing of certain species of animal takes turn and those whose turn has not reached sit aside and said “it is not me that is being killed,” forgetting to note that their turn is nearing.
“Today is the auditors’ turn, but tomorrow might be politicians, businessmen, diplomats, journalist, vocal pastors, youth advocates, prosecuting lawyers,” Dr. Whapoe emphasizes.
“The killing of these auditors, the disappearance of citizens and the [subsequent] discovery of their lifeless bodies with missing-parts that is becoming a new normal in our society under this regime is barbaric, should be detested, outrage every citizen and peace loving people to stand up and demand justice,” he says.
Dr. Whapoe warns that individual silence to this societal menace is a collective endorsement of selective justice.
According to him, the fear being created in people including politicians and the entire citizenry by these potential homegrown radical despotic demagogues will sooner than later cover the entire nation with the yoke of oppression, which his party fervidly refuses.
“Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we at VOLT are calling all Liberians and “life loving people” to join us in a [non-violent] censure to demand rapid justice in the death of Peters, Lamah, Fahnbutu, Nyeswau and other Liberians who died in like situations,” he says.
He says his quest for non-violence condemnation is not against the president, but against willful ignorant act in handling issues that concern the Liberian people.
“Our sustained [non-violent] action will prevent us from falling a sort of a call for patience, which is inadvertently an excuse for do-nothingism, and escapism or transposing responsibilities that subsequently leads to standstillism,” he adds.
Dr. Whapoe explains that non – violent sustained action comes in so many forms, saying it could be protest, but his intention is to continuously on all levels condemn the actions of the government against the Liberian people.
According to him, the upcoming action is intended to be recognized as a need toward moving to the goal of justice.
“Liberians at home and abroad, let me call your attention to this: one Liberian life lost illegally, is a potential for all Liberians lives to be lost illegally. Let us rise for our rights! May the Almighty God forgive our country and redeem or nation,” he concludes.
By Winston W. Parley
