Liberia" President "shocked" by murder of top official

Liberian police have reportedly apprehended two individuals for their alleged involvement in the murder of the chairman of the country’s Public Procurement Concession Commission (PPCC).

Keith Jubah, considered one of the reform minded individuals in President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s government, was killed late Sunday at his farm in Kakata, north of Liberia's capital, Monrovia.

Deputy Information Minister Cletus Sieh said President Sirleaf was alarmed by the killing of what she called a good public servant.

“The president was very, very shocked over the death of Mr. Keith Jubah. She referred to him as a dedicated public servant…who will be missed by the government and by the Liberian people,” he said.

Sieh said President Sirleaf has vowed the perpetrators would be brought to justice.

The PPCC which the late Jubah headed examines government contracts and expenditures as part of efforts to fight corruption in Liberia.

His family members told local reporters they suspect he was killed by assassins who then reportedly set his body and vehicle on fire using gasoline.

Sieh said the police are still investigating the exact cause of Mr. Jubah’s death. But he appeared to have ruled out robbery as a motive.

“At this very point in time it is very early to say clearly what the circumstances are. But we know that he was shot twice, that his wallet, cell phone and wrist watch were still on him; they were taken away by the murderer. And so it opens to the fact that these people may have decided in advance to kill Mr. Jubah,” Sieh said.

He dismissed the concerns of some Liberians that the murder of Jubah, a government employee, has raised the fear of insecurity in the country.

“We UNMIL (United Nations) forces here; we have our own security forces here. They have been doing their very best to insure that our people are secure. But we must realize that even in developed countries these things do happen sometimes,” Sieh said.

At some point armed robbery was said to be on the rise in Liberia. But Sieh said it has reduced dramatically due to the intervention of police and ordinary Liberians.
By James Butty Published with the permission of Voice of America

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