By Moses Tokpah|LPR News, Kakata
The Administrator of the St. Margaret Funeral Service (SMFS) in Kakata City Margibi County has decried the failure of the Government of Liberia to pay what it allegedly owes the entity for the preservation of an amputated human hand.
It has been thirteen years (13) now since the amputated human hand was reportedly taken to the Funeral home for safe keeping thereby resulting to the government incurring huge liability
The Administrator of the St. Margaret Funeral Service, Gabriel T. Somah, Sr. in an interview with our reporter said the human hand was taken to the facility in March 2007 by the Government of Liberia through a sheriff marshal.
Mr. Somah indicated that the incident occurred in Cotton Tree Lower Margibi and the sheriff marshal took the hand to the facility and said he was instructed by the late Peter Howard to carry it for safe keeping pending investigation.
He said the St. Margret’s family then took the hand and had it preserved from 2008 till now, and since then they have been calling the Liberian Government to ascertain whether it has gone through the case but were asked to wait.
He recounts that the government asked them to keep the hand as it goes through investigation after which it (government) will settle the entity.
Somah explained that they have used chemical on the hand for the last thirteen years thereby causing the Funeral Service to have gone bankrupt and cannot carry out some major operations.
He stated that the entity is trying to build a modern structure that will host three hundred persons including waiting room, viewing room and bathroom among others but due to the financial hardship created as the result of the government failure to settle the entity the project has come to a standstill.
He revealed that for the time the hand has spent in the facility and the chemical being applied sum up to one hundred and fifty six thousand Liberian dollars (US$156,000).
“We have used chemical upon chemical on this hand, as we speak this hand has spent thirteen years with this entity; as you see we preserved this hand this hand can even go for hundred years and we have gone brook because of the chemical we used on this hand so we urging international partner, civil society, advocates, human right to please fight for us” he pleaded.
Somah furthered that they have engaged past and current officials of the County and the Country at large but they have always been asked to wait because they were/are investigating.
He said the matter has gone as far to the Chief Justice, the Minister of Justice, members of the Margibi Legislative Caucus and the County Superintendent to intervene in order for the government to pay their money but to no avail.
The St. Margret Funeral Service’s Administrator said if it was other funeral homes like the Striker H. Funeral Home and the St. Moses Funeral Home the government would have settle them because they have big hands.
He said the amount owed by the government can be negotiated because they want the hand which they have spent so much on leaves the facility noting that they can negotiate on at least US$75,000 to US$80,000.
Mr. Somah has threatened to stage a peaceful protest on Liberia’s Independence Day (July 26, 2020) if the government does not address the situation.
“If the Government of Liberia do not come in we will give their 26, we will stage a peaceful protest on July 26 displaying the amputated human hand” he lamented.
