FBI RAIDS THE HOME OF DONALD TRUMP BUT KING MESSI IS ABOVE OUR LAWS
Sierra Leoneans woke up on Tuesday morning to news that the FBI raided the home of Donald Trump in Florida. The former US president had FBI guests he didn’t invite but they were there to do the work of the Great United States of America. We are told that the FBI wouldn’t have gone there had they not established what is known as PROBABLE CAUSE before a judge to be granted the necessary warrant.
We understand that the raid was to establish whether THE DON misused government documents he had access to while in the WHITE HOUSE. There is also the small matter of his alleged role in that January 6 insurrection against US democracy arising out of his abiding belief, without evidence, that he was cheated in the election that Joe Biden won.
Anyway, we learn a lot from the US where the law is the law and everybody is subject to the law but our interest here just now is to send our minds a few short months back when the ACC found their own PROBABLE CAUSE and wanted to INTERVIEW King Messi in his own MAR A – LAGO in Fortress Makeni. Our ACC had no warrant to search the place. So what happened?
1. King Messi moved earth and sky to avoid being INTERVIEWED in a corruption probe. He wasn’t invited to the CID. The interview was to be done in his home with his lawyers in attendance.
2. Thousands of young people turned out on the street leading to the fortress on the evening the ACC investigators landed in the city threatening to block access, even with some measure of violence.
3. Then mask devils were unleashed on the day the interview was to take place sending non-initiates packing. We don’t know if the ACC investigators were strong enough in the traditional sense to make their move. Meanwhile King Messi was home working his phone.
4. The interview was cancelled and rescheduled for Freetown with utmost secrecy. By that time the ACC had gone to court to secure a Warrant of Arrest.
5. The point is Mr. Kofefe and his people are also complaining in the US but they bowed to the law and even the FINE PEOPLE, those PROUD BOYS were not called in to protect the big man.
THE NEW SALONE PREMIER LEAGUE BOARD IS HERE NOW
We have a new Salone Premier League Board. This is the body that organizes our national football league. First, we wish to congratulate Lawyer Alieu Vandi Koroma who retained his position as Chairman of what is clearly a poisoned chalice in the local game. Lawyer Koroma struggled through with a STOP and START league because of COVID-19 and lack of funds because corporate bodies refused to step forward and help and the government was a little slow in supporting the league. When they did send in some money, it was enough to complete the league. It was a miracle Vandi Koroma and his people were able to finish things off.
The new board is made up of good people, they are people who love the game and are ready to spend their time and whatever resources they have at their disposal for the benefit of football. We congratulate them.
We have a few concerns to put forward and we hope the new board treats us like serious people.
1. We need this board to make a clear statement on the suitability of match venues. In other words let the conduct an assessment of the playing surface, access to and the security of certain venues used in the last league. This is the Salone Premier League that shouldn’t be played in pitches that belong to the Iron Age just because we want to satisfy certain people. The board must be strong.
2. The board must be very strong on discipline. There is a growing band of lawless fans going around venues to cause havoc. They are not interested in the game. All they want is what comes out of it – that’s money and possible overseas travel for competitions. It is possible to end violence in our football.
3. The board has to be decisive about the opening and closing of the transfer window. There are big clubs that constantly disgrace themselves by fielding ineligible players in the middle of the league. This is only happening in Sierra Leone these days. It’s a real shame. Please publish the names of all registered players at the close of both transfer windows and give clubs ONE week to raise objections here and there. After that, the session should be closed and the game must go on.
4. Please inject some dynamism into the PLB secretariat. Bring some fresh air around. We won’t go too deep into this but the PLB understands our position. All of the inflexibility and intolerant behavior of key personnel in that place is bad for the work of the PLB.
5. Finally, the PLB has no choice but to fight bad officiating. It’s a real problem. We don’t VAR on this yet so we need match officials that are as close to perfect as possible. We also need match officials that are humble enough to accept mistakes and stop hiding their so-called FINAL WORD to compromise the game.
FAYIA SELLU TAKES OVER AT POLICE HEADQUARTERS
IG Sovula is well and truly now a retired police officer. Compared to some of his predecessors, Sovula didn’t stay long in office but he will be remembered for his style and the few controversies around his administration, so well documented on social media. We wish him well in his retirement. Who knows, he may soon pop up somewhere as a consultant.
Two others from his management group have been moved to desk jobs at the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We suspect that Civil Servants are still writing their ToRs and sorting out office space with some chairs and tables. They are getting used to life as ordinary people like us. The police uniforms and guards are gone. This was really not about IG Sovula alone
Many Sierra Leoneans didn’t see the hand of Kotor Juldeh in all of this. We saw it clearly. He is head of the Police Council and while Principal may have made the final announcement, surely the recommendations came from the desk of Kotor Juldeh. Is it any wonder that the man named the deputy IG was once in the office of Kotor Juldeh?
We will return to this issue in subsequent editions but today we want to repeat those issues that IG Sovula failed to do that IG Sellu should not play around with.
1. His predecessor promised and failed to withdraw his officers from traffic duties on our roads. Why make a promise that you don’t intend to keep? The activities of some of these officers are giving the SLP a bad name. There is the road safety corps to deal with traffic matters. At least drastically reduce the number of officers and send the rest into communities for beat patrol.
2. Sellu should re-organize the media and outreach division of the SLP. Bring back ASP Samuel Saio Conteh who was punished unjustly and build the media operation around him. He is a good man. Please, completely change the way you engage the media and conduct other outreach activities. Force for Good is generally out of touch with modern day communication realities.
3. Clean up your detention facilities and close down Benghazi as a place where ordinary people are detained for minor offences. High value criminals like drug traffickers and terrorists can be held there but even at that point the normal rules of detaining people should apply. It is only for its maximum security nature that we won’t call for its closure.
4. Senior officers should stop undermining their bosses with bogus social media posts and wicked media briefings. This cycle must stop.
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