By Alpha Abu
68-year-old school teacher whose brutal killing some three weeks ago shocked the entire nation was yesterday laid to rest at the Ascension Town Cemetery in Freetown, a funeral that attracted teeming groups of mourners dressed mostly in black.
The funeral cortege of the late Gilis Edwin Ola Johnson from the Portuguese Town Church on Campbell Street where a service was held, passed through streets in the Central part of town and in front of his house, accompanied by pupils of various schools where he had taught.
A Pupil of Providence School, Arun Conteh is being held by Police as a prime suspect over the gruesome killing of Mr Johnson who had his throat cut inside his Victoria Street Freetown home.
Conteh in handcuffs was on Monday brought to the crime scene by Police who used an ambulance so as not to alert much attention, fearful of crowd trouble as the killing of the teacher had got emotions running high in the neighbourhood where he lived.
The Police after entering the house to solicit more evidence soon drove off just as crowds began to gather and Police backup arriving.
Mr. Johnson’s body was found in a pool of blood in the afternoon of Saturday 11th March 2023. Neighbours said the suspect was seen leaving the house that day. Police said Conteh went to the Aberdeen Station and reported the killing of his teacher which he blamed on an Operational Support Division (OSD) officer.
Conteh was known by neighbours of Mr Johnson as he was frequent there. According to close family members, he attended private classes with other young people at Mr Johnson’s residence and was said to be very close to the slain man.
Subsequent investigations led detectives to zero in on Conteh who was immediately arrested. A Police source told Politico that investigations are continuing.
Prior to the funeral, the Sierra Leone Teachers Union put out a notice calling on its members to wear black that day to mourn a ‘’fallen colleague’’.
Copyright (c) 2023 (31/03/23)
