The Gbangay Town Community in District 9 of Montserrado County, where a decommissioned truck owned by the Liberia Immigration Service (LIS), formerly Bureau of Immigration and Neutralization (BIN), was set ablaze early Tuesday, December 20, has constituted a committee to conduct an investigation into the incident.
The committee, Atty. Miller B. Catakaw said, would work along with state security agencies to ensure that the perpetrators are arrested and brought to justice.
Members of the team were drawn from the four (4) blocks making up the Gbangay Town Community.
The truck was among seven vehicles the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) recently turned over to the government, and was parked on a football field in the community.
At the scene, LIS Commissioner Lemuel Reeves promised that they were going to work with other security agencies and the community to bring the perpetrator(s) to justice.
It was against this backdrop that eminent residents of the district, including Attorney Catakaw, constituted a team of investigators.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, December 23, Catakaw said setting the truck ablaze was seriously regrettable, and as such there was a need for the community to assist the security agencies to ensure that those behind the act were brought to justice.
“This is not just a cost only to the government, but to all of us Liberians because it is taxpayers’ money that would be used to purchase or repair the burned truck. Therefore, those of us who are on the investigation process should work diligently to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” the lawyer appealed to the community, where he distributed several bags of rice and other assorted items as Christmas gifts to underprivileged residents.
Meanwhile, Atty. Catakaw promised to volunteer his legal services for a speedy trial if any perpetrator is arrested for prosecution.
“We are decent people in this district; therefore, we are going to do everything legally possible to ensure a cordial working relationship with the immigration,” the lawyer indicated.
For his part, Varney Golafalie, the Town Chief of the community, added that every stakeholder in the community is involved in the investigation.
“We are going to work with security agencies to ensure a transparent investigation and trial of the culprits because all of the four (4) blocks are part of the exercise,” Golafalie promised.
“This is the first time we have experienced such an incident in our peaceful community, and we all have to bring it under control,” the Gbangay Town Chief emphasized.
“We, including our lawyer Catakaw, are prepared to work with the government to bring the situation to an end and to ensure a good working relationship with the LIS,” the Town Chief added.
