Monrovia was stunned last week when 27 students and a teacher of a Muslim school in Paynesville, Montserrado County, were charred to death in the country’s worst fire incident in decades. National security officials are still plowing the circumstances of the fatal fire outbreak in search of answers as to what when wrong. President Weah who immediately visited the scene of the disaster and copiously identified with the families of the dead and the Liberian Muslim community has promised to ensure Government gets to the bottom of the incident through a thorough investigation. But while official answers are being found, a group of Muslim youth, under the banner, the national Fula Youth council of Liberia (NFYCL) in collaboration with “Aggrieved Youth of Liberia” say they suspect terrorism in the attack. While thanking President Weah in a press release for his show of true leadership and concern in the fire incident, the group is also calling for a deeper investigation which it says warrant the complexity of the situation.
A group of Muslim youth, the Fula Youth Council of Liberia, during a press conference yesterday at the United Dawah Ummah Mission School located on 17th Street, Sinkor, in a press statement read by Mohammed Alie Bah, National Youth leader of the Fula Community and Chairman of Aggrieved Youth of Liberia says the fire incident in Red Light, Paynesville, which consumed nearly thirty persons, mainly students of the Muslim school, is not ordinary but smells with terroristic flavors.
“There have been two unsuccessful attacks on the school previously,” the FYCL said in a press statement. “The first attack in 2018 was between the hours 7:00pm to 8:00pm. Huge smoke emanated from the bathroom which drew everyone’s attention in the mosque. When they rushed there, all they could see was a bunch of cloth with heavy fire on it. The second occurrence took place in the same year in similar way.”
According to the youth group, when these two previous attacks took place, the Imam of the Mosque informed the community and its leadership who later informed the police station about the happenings.
They youth said the police promised to investigate the matter, but since then the police have yet to give them a feedback.
“We cannot conclude on the recent incident that took place as investigation is ongoing, but with facts gathered from previous attacks, we suspect a terroristic attack,” said definitively the young group. “Therefore, we are calling on the Government of Liberia to conduct a forensic investigation on this matter and previous attacks.”
The Fula youth are therefore “calling on all Liberians especially the Muslim Community to be calm during this moment of sorrow as we patiently await the report from the investigation.”
“This has to stop, because, we cannot go to school or in bed thinking that such situation will ever occur again,” the youth further said, adding, “Firstly, we sadly mourn the death of our beloved brothers and pray that Allah forgives their sins and grant them paradise.”
They asserted: “We extend our deepest sorrow and condolences to the bereaved families for this tragic occurrence in our country’s history. We would also like to commend H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah and his entire leadership for the high level of religious tolerance exhibited on the day and after the funeral.”
The youth stressed they had to call the a press conference and issue a statement “to inform you about some unfolding events which have been taken place on the school before the fire disaster on Tuesday which engulfed the building and caused the death of 27 students of the school.”
Comments are closed.