THE CASE OF THE CHARCOAL TRUCK PACKED WITH DIAMBA
It was drama on the highway last weekend, (Saturday) witnessed by your very own TWITTER on your behalf. A hit-and-run truck from Bo area loaded with charcoal was involved in a kind of OJ Simpson-type chase. Blue boys were humiliated by the truck driver’s mastery of the hit-and-run game and embarked on a dangerous road exercise that ended in the arrest of the runaway truck – AFZ 842 with the inscription – SIDI MAMBAY CAPITAL HOLDINGS, BO.
The truck was arrested at a place called New York at Yams Farm as they transferred the items described as marijuana, locally called DIAMBA into two taxis. One of the drivers fled while the other driver and his maidwere arrested.
On the morning after the night before, we visited the scene to continue gathering information on the drama and we actually saw some of the OSD personnel having a little smoke. Haven’t they tampered with what is clearly a piece of evidence ready for the courts?
Anyway our people are still out picking up all bits and pieces of information related to that truck. Stay with Politico!
ROGUE PUBLIC TRANSPORT VEHICLES STEALING FROM PASSENGERS
Next time you board a public transport vehicle, particularly the private one that plies the Kambiaroute, don’t feel safe even in the hands of the driver and his mate. We are not being alarmist and you have to take this warning seriously. This is why:
Recently, a young man came to our office looking distressed. His luggage of expensive goods bought from neighbouring Guinea had been stolen along with that of several other passengers and they couldn’t get help from the police, who had no clue about how to go about investigating the issue and arresting the criminals. To be honest, the young man told us he had a little suspicion that the police were either negligent or a few of them at least had some idea how they came to be distressed.
According to the young man, their vehicle was pulled over at Magbontoso checkpoint and passengers were asked to move on and wait for the vehicle to be checked by the police. They complied. Since that minute they have been waiting for the vehicle to be cleared.
The driver simply turned his back and fled with all the goods. And all the police would do was to ask the distressed passengers if they could remember the vehicle’s registration number. All the people left the place very disappointed, praying for a police force that really cares for the people who pay their salaries. The last thing we want is for insecurity to grip our trunk roads. When that happens, the nation will stagnate, a bit like in the war years.
MINKAILU MANSARAY RUNNING WILD AT MINES MINISTRY
The man hoping to replace De Pa as Red Movement leader and possible president of Sierra Leone is stretching his powers too far at the ministry of mines.Minkailu who spent all his time dealing with insurance policies, has now transformed himself into an expert in everything connected to mining and mining policies.
We congratulate him for learning so fast. We also congratulate him for messing things up to the extent that the country now runs the risk of being seriously embarrassed in a London courtroom. We’ve been tipped off about two companies that Minkailu personally disgraced planning lawsuits in the UK. We will hang it there for now and wait for the court battles to begin. Minkailu should be sure we will stand by the people of Sierra Leone by all means.
By the way Mr President-in-waiting, our lawyers have briefed us extensively about the responsibilities of the recently established Minerals Agency and we believe your ministry is refusing to allow this agency to carry out its functions effectively and indeed according to the law. We know about issues around the organisation’s budget, the mines monitoring officers, the geological survey division, the GGDO and all that. We are holding back details for now in the hope that you will realise that the problems you have with this agency are in the public domain and we are ready to put it on public record whether you speak to us or not because you always dodge critical media.
Good luck with your State House bid.
FROM OKADA BOYS TO MUSICIANS: DE PA’S LARGESSE CAUSING A STORM
For the second time in as many weeks, listeners to breakfast and night time programmes on our many radio stations have been left wondering what is really going on.
Just before the last presidential election we actually witnessed confrontations between factions of traders in a second hand market place called Belgium over a huge amount of money De Pa was said to have given to them. It was, of course, officially denied. Then Dollar Boys had an open fight on Siaka Stevens Street for the same reason. Okada Boys in Kabala turned on their executive and now musicians in Freetown have been having a go at each other about money from De Pa. The details were too gory for many people who listened to radio yesterday.
The spokesman for those musicians who collected the money from De Pa told the whole nation that THIRTY THOUSAND UNITED STATES DOLLARS was chicken change. Interesting stuff, but we think that chicken change is Barack Obama’s salary for a month. We are talking here about the most powerful man in the world. Can we still call it chicken change?
The way they shared the TRANSPORT money among those musicians who went to the meeting with De Pa was also very interesting. Many of the musicians who spoke to us on record even before yesterday’s broadcast were completely outraged at the mathematical formula used by their leaders to share the LARGESSE. One of them told us they were cheated and would therefore refuse to cooperate with their hurriedly selected executive.
Meanwhile, for what it’s worth, we have to say that whatever the World Bank official said was not new to us and it’s the reality of our situation. TERRIBLE CONDITIONS WE ARE LIVING UNDER! To confirm that our roads are terrible, De Pa has sacked the minister in charge. And this idea of driving out everybody who says something critical about what is happening in our country says a lot about our ability to endure democratic criticism. It definitely makes us look bad. TELL FREN TRUE NOR PWELL FREN.
(C) Politico 24/10/13
