Among those paying tributes to the fallen law enforcement officer, who served both the Guyana Police Force and CANU with distinction, were Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Ronald Gajraj; Head of CANU, Mr. Bernard Truman; and Head of Federal Management Systems security service, Mr. Henry Chester.

Present too, were Junior Deputy Head of CANU, Mr. Orvil Nedd, Commissioner of Trade Administration and former Head of CANU, Mr. Lambert Marks, and Director of Prisons, Mr. Dale Erskine, among representatives of the Disciplined Services. Officiating Priest was Mr. Roy Inniss, of the Faith Emmanuel Assembly of God Church, and a cousin of the deceased.

Earlier, at the Merriman's Funeral Home in Georgetown from where the body was removed, a large gathering of mourners also turned up to pay their last respects. Among them was the United States Ambassador, Mr. Ronald Godard.

In his tribute at the service at the community centre, Gajraj who, as Head of the Ministry of Home of Affairs had regular contact with the CANU official, lamented his passing.

"Inniss was a trusted officer. Inniss was a courageous officer; Inniss was an officer who very often would come to me with certain suggestions and plans as to how we can deal with certain situations," he recalled.

He said that the slain law enforcement officer, apart from being Deputy Head of CANU, was also a member of the National Security Committee. He said that they very often had discussions - particularly in relation to the operations of CANU.

In addition, Gajraj recalled that very often he (the Minister of Home Affairs) held discussions with members of organisations that are involved in narco-related fighting, and they would specially request Inniss to be engaged in certain operations.

He stated with an air of confidence: "Inniss commanded the respect of his colleagues, not only in Guyana, not only in the Caribbean, but further afield."

Acknowledging that the officer's death would be a tremendous loss to CANU and to law enforcement in this country, Gajraj, on a sombre note added: "I only hope his death would inspire his colleagues to be more concentrated, dedicated and committed to the fight against crime."

A deeply saddened Truman, commenting on the loss of Inniss, affirmed that CANU would not seek to avenge those responsible for his death, but would seek justice. "We would not seek revenge, but justice, because justice is important to us," he stated.

He said, with a profound sense of pride, that Inniss was one of the most important men in the unit, hence his decision to select him for the position of Deputy Head.

Noting that his death was a great loss to CANU, Truman recalled, "He was a Chief Investigator - both local and overseas - and he did everything in relation to pushing CANU forward."

"And so we feel that loss. We are angry, and we are peeved, but we will not seek to avenge his death; we'll seek to ensure that justice prevails."

Truman, who was on vacation abroad when Inniss was slain in an organised hit operation, said that on receiving the tragic news, he immediately aborted his vacation and returned home.

He said that he also immediately became aware that the unit at this time needs guidance, hence his decision to return and give the kind of leadership CANU needs at this time.

Pastor Inniss, reflecting on the current events in Guyana, declared: "The battle is not ours' but the Lord's." He beseeched the "men and women of the law" to get on their knees or stand up before God in earnest prayer so as to bring about a change to the situation now dogging the land.

He prayed that God will help the leaders of the land to realise that "It's only talking to Him that can change our course."

"Our brother is gone, but the nation can turn the tide," he admonished, adding, "The nation that forgets God shall be doomed."

The eulogy was read by Rennie, a relative of Vibert Inniss.
Vibert, also called 'Colin' or 'Boopsie', was the son of the late William and Millicent Inniss. He was a member of the Guyana Police Force for 15 years, after which he joined CANU where he served until the time of his death.

He was described as a "strong and dedicated person" with the "heart of a lion". He possessed a quality of willingness to help others through difficult times and experiences in life.

Vibert was loved by kids in particular, and the most important thing in life to him, was to see others live in harmony, Rennie said.

He leaves to mourn his children Delmark, Shibiki, Kelly Ann and Shaquille, brothers and sisters and several other relatives and friends.