GANTA, Nimba – Rep. Jeremiah Koung of Nimba’s 1st district has said he would invite Justice Minister Benedict Sannoh to explain why several bodies deposited by the Liberia National Police at funeral homes in Ganta have not been released to family members.

Speaking to local radio stations in Ganta over the weekend, Koung said he has been receiving several calls from the managements of Sanana Funeral Home and Gompa Funeral Home to advocate for the removal of the bodies deposited at their funeral homes, as it is a hindrance to their normal business operations.

“The situation is posing a serious problem to the business of those funeral homes,” Koung said.

“The managements of Gompa and Sanana have been calling me over and over to see how our office can engage the Justice Ministry to have those bodies released to family members, so that they can have a final rest,” Koung said.

Commerical motorcyclist Nathan Wehyeegbay was found dead the early morning of September 30, 2015 along the Ganta United Methodist Football Field with several wounds sustained on his head. A subsequent mob violence in Ganta led to the destruction of properties belonging to businessman Prince Howard and the death of at least two other persons.

Since those bodies were deposited at various funeral homes in Ganta by officers of the Liberia National Police, families, have not been allowed to bury their loved ones. Koung said the situation is not just an embarrassment to family members of the victims as well as the Nimba County Authorities and the managements of both funeral homes.

“My office is being confronted on a daily basis; likewise the superintendent office and even family members themselves. We all are embarrassed,” Koung noted.

Koung said he has exerted all efforts in reaching Sannoh through phone calls and personal visits to the Justice Ministry to facilitate a speedy release of those bodies to family members for burial, but said all efforts to date have proven unsuccessful. He said that if nothing is done to release those bodies until the legislature resumes their normal legislative duties the second working Monday of January, he would be left with no other alternative but to summon Sannoh to the capitol building for questioning.

“If the Justice Minister cannot have those bodies released by Monday, at which time we will be resuming our normal legislative duties, I am left with no alternative but to invite him to plenary to give reasons why those bodies are still at the funeral homes,” Koung added.

In another development, Koung is calling on national government to assign armed police in Nimba, especially in the city of Ganta. He said Ganta, which is the second most populous city and is fast growing, cannot go without armed police. He pointed out that the smaller city of Gbarnga hosts a Regional Police Hub when Ganta does not have one.

“The Regional Police Hub in Gbarnga should have been here in Ganta, because from Ganta, you can move quickly to Gbarnga and other areas,” Koung said. “Ganta is growing faster, and Ganta as a matter of fact is the second city to Monrovia and should have armed police assigned in the city.”

He said that assigning armed police to the city will act as a deterrent for other heinous crimes.