By AbuBakar Bah in Saudi Arabia
In part one of my series on Captain Valentine E.M Strasser, I presented a historical perspective of how the former Military man rose to power on April 29, 1992, and became the world’s youngest leader. I gave a summary of his four-year rule and how he was overthrown in a palace coup by his number two, Brigadier General Julius Maada Bio, who eventually fulfilled his promise by returning the country to democratic rule in 3 months with President Alhaji Ahmed Tejan Kabba as President of Sierra Leone.
Additionally, I mentioned how Strasser was used by the All People’s Congress (APC) and the Koroma administration to win the Presidential election of 2012 and then abandoned him to suffer. In this part of the series, I will narrate the brave journalistic venture I took to interview Captain (rtd) Strasser, at a time, during the hottest political debate in Sierra Leone about an inquest into the NPRC execution of political prisoners in 1992.
My Encounter with Strasser
It was the second Saturday of August 2010. I called my Editor-in-Chief at CTN, Joshua Nicol, to seek approval to interview Strasser with the aim of clarifying issues relating to the NPRC’s execution of the former Inspector General of Police, James Bambay Kamara and 28 others. My boss, a very caring man, advised me not to take what was clearly a risky venture at that time.
He said: “Bah, I know you have a nose for news but please don’t go to Grafton to interview Strasser because I have heard several reports of him being hostile and unaccommodating, to people he perceives as trying to ridicule him.”
I told Mr Nicol that I would give it a try. I also made a similar request to my Programs Manager at the time, Ismael Koroma (I.K), and he also gave me similar advice. But as a stubborn Journalist then, I insisted on taking the venture and I.K. responded by saying: “Bah you are going on your own and I wish you well.” Well, even though I was a bit afraid my metaphysical mind persuaded me to make a try. At that time, relatives of those executed by the NPRC in 1992 were calling on the APC regime of President Ernest Bai Koroma to establish an inquest that would eventually investigate those that did it and possibly ban them from running or holding public office in Sierra Leone, whilst others had the view that it would open old wounds that would be difficult to heal.
In addition, some newspapers had been publishing commentaries both against and in favour of the inquest. A certain newspaper—I won't bother to mention—went ahead to publish an erroneous story that Captain Strasser was spotted languishing in the Senegalese capital, Dakar when in actual fact, the former Military leader was living at his mother’s house in AllenTown as his former A.D.C, Lieutenant (rtd) Laurence Stevens told me.
At around 10am on a slightly rainy Saturday, my younger brother, Alpha U. Bah who now resides in the United Kingdom, Lieutenant (Rtd) Laurence Stevens and I boarded a “Poda-Poda” and left for Grafton. On our way, Strasser’s former ADC asked me if I would have the ‘guts’ to interview his former boss. I smiled and said yes if he would give me an audience.
We arrived in Grafton and Val was at his residence so Stevens advised me not to say anything until we arrived at his “ghetto”, a makeshift place where the former Military leader spends the entire day but luckily for me that morning Strasser was in good spirits. When we arrived at the ghetto, his former ADC introduced me to him and told him that I wanted to interview him. Strasser’s body language changed completely and said he won’t take an interview, adding that Sierra Leone Journalists except for the BBC’s Umaru Fofana are all liars. He said every day he reads the papers and he was following the lies peddled against him and the NPRC by ‘unprofessional journalists’ and that he was not in the mood to talk to any journalist.
Following his rage, I respectfully told him that I was not a print journalist but a Student of the Mass Communications Department, Fourah Bay College working for Cotton Tree News (CTN); a Professional Medium that was established and funded by Fondation Hirondelle Switzerland, to build Media Capacity in Sierra Leone. That was not convincing for Strasser and we went back and forth for about an hour and I had almost lost hope in my mission.
Suddenly, Mr Stevens pleaded by saying, “Chairman Val, I think this young man came here to talk to you so he would tell the real story, at least he did not sit in his newsroom to write a fabricated story.” Strasser again said he won’t entertain the interview because he had lost hope in the Sierra Leone Media. He said the only Journalist he respects is then President of SLAJ, Umaru Fofana, and then I responded by saying that Mr Umaru Fofana was one of my mentors and he interjected by asking if I was a member of SLAJ; I answered in the affirmative. He demanded to see my SLAJ Identity Card. I took it out of my bag and showed it to him and then he agreed to grant the interview on the condition that it should be just 25 minutes as he declined to accept my 30-minute proposal.
But before we started, I asked what questions he would entertain because in my mind I wouldn't want the interview to end abruptly with me receiving punches but luckily, Strasser smiled and said let me feel free and ask him any question.
During the interview, Captain Strasser took me through his four years of leadership, especially the successes his regime made in the areas of Education, Football & Sports in general, construction of roads and the provision of electricity even though the country was immersed in conflict. I asked him if he regretted overthrowing Momoh’s APC he responded by saying “No, no, no. I think that was what the country needed at the time. If that had not happened, this country would have been totally destroyed.” “We’ve also heard about the proposed inquest and what do you make of it, sir,” I asked, and he responded: “I think it’s a pure diversionary tactic by the APC. James Bambay Kamara and others committed mutiny at war and that’s what you get, a posthumous death sentence by firing squad. I did what the law dictated under the NPRC decree. If the APC thinks they are not satisfied with my actions, let them come, am waiting for them in Grafton.”
In the interview, Captain Strasser took personal responsibility for the executions and completely exonerated Brigadier retired Julius Maada Bio, a man whom I didn't know at the time but had just returned from the USA and was on the verge of running for President under the SLPP ticket.
Strasser warned that the APC government of President Koroma shouldn't attempt opening old wounds or diverting the attention of Sierra Leoneans with a so-called inquest, rather they should focus on fulfilling the Agenda for Change Manifesto. He said his community was not benefiting from even the much-talked-about electricity the Koroma administration was vaunting about. My concluding question was about his family. He responded aggressively “What do you want to know about my family? My father is dead.” I asked again, “Your wife and kids?’ He concluded by saying “my wife and I separated long ago. She is no longer my wife and my only son, Valentine Strasser Jnr is living with her in the United States.” Strasser painfully narrated how his wife, Gloria, abandoned him and confiscated all the money and property he had saved in her name.
I was the first Radio Journalist in Sierra Leone to interview Strasser at the time and the twenty-five minutes recorded interview was aired on CTN in series and it was a topic of discussion in Sierra Leone to a point several newspapers in the country published the stories in series they culled from the CTN's website. I had wanted to have a photo with him after the interview but he refused.
There were radio discussions on the issue of which relatives of those executed were hosted several times on CTN's "Insai Salone program."
Eventually, the Koroma APC regime did not institute the inquest and in fact, the regime, in 2012, poached Strasser and took him to Monologue radio presenter, David Tam Bayoh to endorse President Ernest Bai Koroma for re-election. Although Strasser endorsed Koroma, he spoke good things about Bio at the time.
In part three of this series, I’ll attempt to recount the extent of Strasser’s involvement in the 2018 Elections.
About the Author:
Abubakarr Bah was a prolific Journalist of Cotton Tree News (CTN), Sierra Leone and now serving as Information Attaché of the Sierra Leone Embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
+966567766322
Email: abubakarrsalieubah@gmail.com
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