The family of the late Senator Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan has observed with disgust and utter indignation attempts by some individuals and online publications to smear the memories of their beloved son, brother and father by attributing his cause of death to factors that are far removed from the truth. “The untimely passing of Senator Nyenpan is a national tragedy that we cannot allow to be used by anyone to achieve his/her own parochial interest or objectives,” the family said in a press statement.
“The family also wants to make it categorically clear that at no time has any of its members spoken with or communicated with any media institution or other individuals about the circumstances leading to the passing of Senator Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan. By extension, the family has never authorized anyone to speak on its behalf in these matters. Anyone or group doing so is impersonating and should not be taken seriously. In the age of fake news, conspiracy theories and character assassination without a scintilla of truth, we beseech the public to be mindful of individuals whose sole intent is to use a family’s tragedy to achieve their selfish aims and objectives,” the family maintained.
“It saddens the family to note that individuals with no connection to the bereaved family are concocting blatant falsehoods, all intended to create confusion and sow seeds of discord. Vlah was a peaceful and respectable gentleman, and we encourage all those who want to honor his memories to respect the wishes of the family and desist from propagating falsehood and conjectures. When you lie about the minister’s cause of death with the intent of propagating a smear campaign against others, you are hurting and not helping the family. Please desist!”
The family observed that there is only one official medical report, which is in possession of the family. “For the record, and while we will not delve into the details of such a report, we can emphatically state that nowhere in that report is it indicated that cyanide or other deadly chemicals were detected as contributing factors to the passing of our beloveth. Again and for the record, if the family had any misgivings about the cause of death of our beloveth we would have said it without any equivocation. We would not need non-family members and online media outlets to do our bidding.
“These are times of immense grief and sadness, and we respectfully ask the general public to please respect the privacy of our fallen hero by desisting from making up stories and throwing out wild and unfounded allegations that have no iota of truth. For the record, let it be stated clearly that at no time has the Nyenpan family accused anyone of being responsible for the untimely passing of Senator Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan. Specifically, the family’s attention has been drawn to the wild allegations contained in a publication by the Parrot online outlet. That story, as far as the family is concerned, is totally false—from start to finish.
“Relative to the incoherent and baseless tirade by one Mr. Paulson Garteh (the same gentleman that was expelled from the family yard for unruly behavior), the family wants to state that he is not a member of the Nyenpan family, and we ask that he and his likes desist from disrespecting and dishonoring the legacy of Senator Nyenpan. There is no shortage of spokespersons in our family to warrant us asking a Paulson Garteh, with no relations to the family, to be our mouthpiece. While we welcome all sympathizers, we will not encourage or tolerate any sympathizer whose sole intent and objective is to spew lies, propagate innuendoes, create confusion and hatred, and spread dangerous and slanderous falsehood.
“We have lost a giant; we have lost the pillar of our family; we have lost an exceptional and distinguished statesman; we have lost a father; we have lost a wonderful gentleman: kindly allow us to lay our hero to rest in an aura of tranquility and with the decency he deserves. It is morally reprehensible to use the pains and sorrows of a grieving family to achieve one’s ulterior motives. As we are in a state of mourning with no interest in issuing a plethora of statements and press releases, we hope that this statement would serve as sufficient notice to the premise.
“Finally, the family wishes to thank the Government of Liberia (GOL) for its continued support. The family also appreciates the overwhelming support of the general populace during this time of unspeakable grief.
“May the gentle soul of Senator Mobutu Vlah Nyenpan, our dearest son, father, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and comrade, rest in perpetual peace.”