Filed in by Olando Testimony Zeongar – 0776819983/0880-361116/life2short4some@yahoo.com
Monrovia – The mother of Odell Sherman, a female student of the Harrietta Bailey United Methodist School, who was reportedly raped and killed two months ago, Madam Cynthia Rivercess, in demand for justice for her only child, while expressing regret for voting President Weah into office, Thursday slammed the retired footballer’s administration as an irresponsible government.
On May 22 this year, Odell was discovered ‘unconscious’ in a fenced compound belonging to Methodist preacher man Reverend Emmanuel Giddings, with medical report from examination conducted by the ELWA Hospital indicating that she later died two hours after she was taken at the hospital for medical attention.
The ELWA Hospital attributed Odell’s cause of death to sexual assault as one of two probable causes of death, the other being an injury sustained from a fall since blood was reportedly oozing from her nostrils and ears. To date, no arrest has been made, in what family sources believe is a murder case.
On Thursday, in a second day of peaceful protest by Odell’s family members and students from the Liberia National Students Union (LINSU), in demand for justice amid accusation from the family that the Government of Liberia through the Liberia National Police (LNP) was dragging its feet regarding dispensing speedy and impartial justice, Madam Rivercess told police mediator, deputy director of police for operations, that they were protesting because the LNP was among other things engaging into denying members of Odell’s family justice.
“102, 102, you know what brought us here today? The Liberia National Police; overlooked us to the letter – the Liberia National Police has denied us justice -the Liberia national Police have downplayed the whole investigation – the Liberia National Police have not been relating to us – the Liberia National Police takes us to be trash for them,” she lamented.
‘Regrets voting for Weah’
Further venting out her frustration over government’s apparent delay in speedily dispensing justice in the death of Odell, who died on the night after she completed her senior high public examination, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), Madam Rivercess expressed regrets over voting for President Weah.
“We never voted for George Weah to be treated like this – we voted for George Weah for change,” she quipped.
“I regret why I must vote for George Weah – I am regretting the hour, the second… I will not move from this car road,” said Rivercess, who averred that the feet-dragging approach being exhibited by government in case of Odell’s death, has necessitated such protestation.
“You pushed us too much. So since you’ve pushed us too much, I’m grieving, I’m protesting, I’m on the street – I will remain on the street, let them kill me, and the news will go,” she emphasized.
Rivecess pointed accusing finger at Rev. Giddings, who she said continues to make contradictory comments regarding the cause of Odell’s death, also alleging that the Methodist clergyman might have a hand in the death of her daughter.
“ Rev Giddings flying all around, you know how many statements Rev. Giddings alone has made? Quipped Rivercess, who noted that it is the police failure to have apprehended the preacher that has given him the urge to continue to make statements which she termed as being troubling.
As far as the proper handling of the case is concerned, Rivercess believes the police has failed to do their work, stating, “so since the police failed to do their work, the international community will carry it that Liberia has a dark reflection right now – nobody’s life is save when you are not partisan or you’re not in society.”
I will not leave from here today… I can’t listen to anybody. I will not listen to anybody – I will not listen to anybody! Said Madam Rivercess, while shedding tears.
‘Irresponsible Government’
Eyes filled with tears and a hoarse voice from agitating and crying, Rivercess further described the Weah-led government as an irresponsible government, due to what she deems the administration’s failure to proceed justly with the investigations surrounding the death of Odell.
Hear Riverces: “My daughter was murdered since May 21st up to present, no one police officer has placed a single call to me. You think we supposed to leave to come sit down here, if the government was responsible? But the government is very much irresponsible. So is this was a really responsible government, these things we would have found them out….”
“I came to Col. Patrick Sudue here, I told him, the thing your doing so, your overlooking us, when it comes to focus, we will not listen – today is the day. Since this morning, I am hoarse, because I have been talking for her, government says I must talk – while I’m bereaved, I must be crying, I must be talking to myself.”
She maintains that in the case regarding Odell’s death, the Government of Liberia has been negligible so far.
“Government who supposed to protect its citizens, has refused to exercise its own duty. So we are here today. I am not leaving from here today until Rev. Giddingss who raped my daughter and killed my daughter can be apprehended,” said Rivercess, adding, “I am not leaving from here until Abraham Sumo who was in the fence, and they defiled the crime scene [can be apprehended].”
Rivercess, who claims to be a security personnel, alarmed that the crime scene, where Odell was lying in Rev. Gidding’s compound, before she was taken to the ELWA Hosptital, where she was pronounced dead, was never preserved, and so it was tempered with allegedly by Rev. Giddings.
“You think I ain’t know about crime scene investigation? You think I ain’t know it’s supposed to be protected and be kept save? But what happened to the crime scene? Rev. Giddings had any right to remove my daughter from the crime scene without the consent of the parents and the National police? Rev. Giddings had any right to deposit my daughter at the ELWA Medical Hospital and put a different name on her and leave her remains there and come back to his house and go and clean the whole blood from there?” Rivercess asked hypothetically.
‘Misleading’
Besides alleging that Rev, Giddings is spewing out too many contradictory statements out in the public, Riverces also accused LNP spokesperson, Moses Carter, of giving misleading information about the death of Odell.
She said while family members of Odell are still grieving her painful demise, Rev. Giddings is freely walking round and about with government security protection, which Carter claims was provided with the consent of the family.
“Are you not causing violence? After the child was murdered, the blood still gushing out of her, the parents are grieving. If you even want to do partial thing, you can’t keep it yet for a little while for the family heart to go down? But what you did? You gave him security and say go bluff the people – the community saw him back with his boys, the community protested. When Moses Carter was contacted, what did Moses Carter say? Moses Carter said it was by the consent of the family. Because Moses Carter knew the actual truth of what supposed to happen, so he was able to mislead the public to say that it was with the consent of the family.”
“Moses Carter went back on the air again and said the woman that’s talking, she’s not nobody. She’s not Odell Sherman’s biological mother – in fact, we are talking to her mom and her pap – you see all these contradictory statements. Today, today, my daughter one got three medical reports,” said Rivercess, who narrated that the ELWA Hospital denied the family its daughter’s medical report upon the order of police authorities not to give the medical report to the family but to the LNP.
“Police had to peruse my daughter’s medical report for two weeks before they had to bring the physical one to give us. They did not give us the report until when we said we were going at the ELWA Hospital to cause trouble, and when we asked, the administrator at the hospital said we did not give the family the report because police said we must not give it to the family – so because we are not in society? Because we are not First Family or Second Family? Because we poor people? My daughter was living in zinc-round-house, because of that she must be murdered, no justice?”
