An opinion By Sage Moncio
The image hereunder attached is heartbreaking and perplexing, to say the least. It illustrates the untold grief and devastation former Chief Justice Gloria Musu Scott is enduring at the moment. Her grief is inconsolable and for obvious reasons too. As a father of a young daughter, I share in her grief.
I can imagine how she is processing the painful reality of how her teenage daughter was gruesomely murdered in cold blood by a monster–right in their home. This savagery incident occurred following two reported attempts to assassinate Justice Scott by these very malcontent and barbaric killers believed to be hired by a vicious band of individuals.
The very Police now hollering that the former Justice is not honoring invitation to appear at its headquarters for questioning were sufficiently notified to effect of the looming threats but did nothing to prevent any further attack. Justice Scott and her family were abandoned and left vulnerable to be preyed on by bloodthirsty predators who slayed her daughter most cruelly many including myself can’t fathom.
The police are not only guilty of negligence but also showed dereliction of statutory duty. The police, with such notice of a potential threat to the lives of the justice and her kids, should have immediately employed vigilant measures to deter or countervail any further attempts but they willfully failed to do so.
No doubt, the failure of the police to protect the justice and her family after sufficient notice of the threat enforces the claim by many that the police have been politicized and morphed into a partisan machine with a singular mandate to protect members of the ruling establishment while individuals opposed to the regime struggle with the fate of insecurity and have to be security for themselves. The manipulation and politicization of state security against Liberians who hold different political and ideological views from those of the ruling establishment are dangerous and threaten the peace and tranquility of Liberia.
While justice Scott is extremely pain-stricken, weary, and wrecked by the tragic killing of her daughter, horrifyingly ending the life of a young girl with a bright and glorious future ahead of her, the police are claiming that she is not cooperating with the ongoing investigation because she is refusing to appear for questioning. How do you expect this woman to appear in such a state of blistering grief?
Does this woman look psychologically fit to sit before police investigators at the moment? Does she even trust the very police that left her vulnerable to a ravaging monster to infiltrate her home and unleash bloody havoc on she and her family? Can someone in such a hurting and grinding state of mind easily find the mental strength, courage, and faith to go sit before police investigators?
How can the police be so insensitive and heartless? Have they taken leave of their sense of humanity? How can you dare threaten to drag Justice Scott to your HQ for investigation when she is weeping and whirling from the painful carnage inflicted on her, a scar she will live with forever? Rather than using rash, inflammatory, reckless, and hawkish language, the police should be sounding consoling and coaxing the heavy heart of this grieving mother and state woman. Threatening to drag the former Justice to the LNP HQ, as I read in the papers this morning, is sheer hilarious nonsense and certainly the height of insensitive if not utter wickedness. It is downright wrong and must stop!
I wish the LNP had demonstrated a similar zealous posture in preventing this tragic incident after being notified multiple times than showing interest after the worst has happened. The prime responsibility of the Police is to ultimately prevent crimes from occurring and to save lives and properties. The LNP has miserably failed on the prevention aspect of its duties multiple times and is known for either inconclusive investigations or questionable or shady investigative outcomes.
In ending, we know former justice Scott is a subject or prime person in this investigation for obvious reasons. The crimes happened at her house, her daughter was killed, she claimed multiple times that assassins were after her life, and she reported two attacks on her home amongst other claims, however, she is grieving at the moment, it is only about fair, reasonable, human to give her some space and privacy to mourn and heal.
By the way, her daughter has already shuffled off this mortal coil for good and nothing can bring her back. The police must be blamed for the negligence that led to the third attack and the tragic death that occurred. However, we welcome the investigation and hope the killer is found, but take it easy with the former Justice and stop harassing her as she grieves her painful loss.
