Liberia is being reduced to a hub of fear where calls for citizens’ protection are increasing for fear of being haunted if possible murdered or harmed thereby bringing to question policies that are being put in place to curtail such menace.
This scary vulnerability has left many Liberians mute in the scorchy economy as the country propels on its own in an imbalance because even in one’s house, there is no longer safety.
The most recent is the case of Charloe Musu, 28, a graduating senior at Starz University who was murdered, Alice Johnson, 18, and a 12th grader at the Life International School in Logan Town is critically wounded and is in the hospital as well as one Gertrude Newton who is in her early 50s who is also slightly wounded by an individual.
Charloe and Alice are nieces while Gertrude is a cousin to the Cllr. Gloria Scott, the latest prey of unknown individuals whom she (Scott) alerted that had entered her house under the cover of darkness.
On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, the murderer evaded the home of the former Chief Justice and a community member’s account is that Cllr. Scott narrowly escaped death when he and other community members swiftly responded to her cry.
Rev. Alvi Gizzie told journalist that as early as 9:00PM on Wednesday evening, the unknown individual entered the home of the former Chief Justice, but was spotted by Charloe who tried to prevent him from reaching her mother.
Charloe was apparently stabbed multiple times before the murderer attempted to reach Cllr. Scott, Rev. Gizzie told journalists.
I really don’t know why no armed security was assigned to her when she reported that her life is in danger on two occasions but in succession, Rev. Gizzie wondered.
“This is sad for all of us to see Cllr. Scott who worked for this country at the highest echelon of justice in this country being pursue by wicked people,” the Rev. said.
However, Maryland County senator, Gblebo Brown described the situation at the home of Cllr. Scott as unfortunate and a threat to national security.
The senator who could not hold back his tears, called on the government to speedily investigate the situation and bring any or all those involved to justice averring, “This is troubling for our country. If they can enter the home of the former Chief Justice, then all of us are at risk.”
Most residents of the community are still in blankness of the attacks on the life of Justice Scott and her children as they believe that the mission of the alleged attacker was to kill Cllr. Scott but unfortunately, it was her daughter.
According to Cllr. Scott who appeared speechless, she saw death but God first and only described the scene as, “My daughter sacrificed herself to save me. She was the real hero.”
It can be recalled that Madam Scott alerted the public that unknown individuals on two occasions invaded her Virginia home in what appeared to be an attempt to harm her.
The acclaimed Liberian jurist explained that on that fateful Wednesday night, February 8, unknown individuals broke into her residence and returned late on Thursday night, February 9, in the same fashion that depicts a mission intended to target the life of the renowned Liberian lawyer.
Explaining her ordeal, Cllr. Scott narrated that while she and other family members were asleep, the unknown individuals passed under the eve of the house and entered in the roof of the kitchen through the ceiling hole/space and came down to the kitchen, but could not breach the steel door to gain access to the living room because the door’s hooks and locks are positioned on the living room side.
She said the men collected from the kitchen table, the keys to the main entrance/gate to her property/residence, opened the shop and took only a bag of rice and left.
But before they departed the compound, Cllr. Scott observed that the unknown men had taken one of the kitchen knives and a bucket of water and apparently dog a hole somewhere in her compound for whatever purpose, because the knife was discovered the next morning with soil dirt on both sides.
The visibly shocked female lawyer further said, as a precautionary measure, she bought several pad and cylinder locks on Thursday morning, February 9, and began to install additional protective/steel doors, but the weirder could not complete the installation so the keys, locks, light bulbs, along with a juice blender, and other items were left on the dining table and the family went to bed.
Cllr. Scott narrated further that, to the utmost surprise of the family, the unknown persons returned the next night (Thursday, February 9) and entered the house, this time from the top porch upstairs and down to the living room.
She said this time around they succeeded opening the door between the living room and the main kitchen from the living room side and also opened the door between the main kitchen and the cook pot kitchen at the back of the house.
The ‘frightened’ Cllr. Scott said as part of precautionary measures, she had intentionally disabled the lock and handle of the door leading to her sleeping quarters from the living room side, and so the invaders apparently struggled in vain to break into the sleeping quarters where she and other family members were asleep.
Upon hearing unusual sounds from the living room side, she carefully walked towards the door and met it slightly opened, an indication that the unidentified persons made failed efforts to open it to gain access to the sleeping quarters.
Cllr. Scott further asserted that apart from the chilling scenes created inside the house, the unknown men whom she described as very bracing and presumably trained to their mission, also disabled the alarm system on her vehicle, opened it, lifted all the seats, and left files and documents in the car scattered, after apparently reading through them in an effort to find whatever they were searching for.
The attack on Cllr. Scott’s home comes after several cases of high-profile ‘murders at home,’ which claimed the lives of two former presidents’ sons (John Hilary Tubman, 76, in Fiamah, on September 22, 2021; Rev. William R. Tolbert, III, 68, Bushrod Island, on November 1, 2021; and a senior Immigration officer in Brewerville, on October 31, 2021), amongst others.
She emphasized that her fear is particularly heightened by these high-profile murders and many other mysterious incidents in Monrovia and other parts of Liberia, many of which are yet to be investigated or given any serious attention.
Cllr. Scott currently serves as lawyer in several crucial legal battles including her role as a senior counsel for the Nyonblee Karnga-Lawrence side of the Liberty Party (LP) in their constitutional conflict with embattled chairman, Musa Hassan Bility and others, a matter that has reached its politically sensitive stage, with muscle flexing and arm-twisting intensifying towards the eagerly anticipated 2023 elections.
She emphatically stated that the unknown individuals who invaded her home are not ordinary criminals who are looking for money or material possessions, but rather a well-organized and coordinated mission to lay their hands on whatever important documents and eventually harm her.
Cllr. Scott, a former Senator of Maryland County and chair of the erstwhile Constitution Review Committee, then called on authorities of the Zone 6 Police Station in Brewerville, who went to her residence, observed the crime scenes and took preliminary notes.