Concord Times (Freetown)
20 August 2008
I have had a steaming love relationship with the Concord Times family over a decade now. This marriage was forged and fostered by my mentor and good old friend, Lans Gberie. But unlike him, I have never worked for Concord Times except for few and far between occasional contributions to mark the paper's land mark events. This attempt is no different.
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Mr. Lahai, sorry to read about your traumatic experience. Glad you survived the "attack," and, of course, everyone, even the murderers of the journalist, should or OUGHT TO pray that the deceased journalist's soul rest in peace.
However, I have a small concern: how do you know that the "AFRC," monikered by you and many others as "SOBELS," pulled the sordid deed that you recounted?
POINT OF CORRECTION: JAMES OGUOGUO WAS MURDERED BY THE AFRC; NOT BY THE RUF. I WAS NOT IN THE QUEUE WHEN JAMES WAS FINGERED AND EVENTUALLY TAKEN AWAY, BUT I WAS HIDING IN A FRIEND'S PLACE WITH MY SICK MOTHER AND NEPHEW VERY CLOSE TO THE AREA. WE COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN IN THAT QUEUE HAD IT NOT BEEN THAT MAMA WAS TOO ILL TO BE MOVED AND BEING ORDERED ABOUT BY THOSE DRUG CRAZED SOBELS. THE NIGHT BEFORE, THAT SAME GROUP RAIDED OUR HIDING PLACE AND WERE ABOUT TO KILL ALL OF US AND BURN DOWN THE "DAMN" PLACE WHEN ONE OF THE RENEGADE SLA RECOGNISED ME AS HIS FORMER TEACHER AT SL MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD SEC. SCH. BERRY STREET AND RESTRAINED THE OTHERS. THE TEACHING PROFESSION MAY NOT BE FINANCIALLY REWARDING, BUT IT CAN SOMETIMES GET ONE OUT OF TROUBLE OR EVEN SAVE LIVES, AS IT TURNED OUT TO BE ON THAT OCCASION. OUR SAVING GRACE WAS TEACHING GEOGRAPHY AT THAT SCHOOL DURING 1985/86 - 86/87 SESSIONS. THE FUNNY THING IS THAT I DID NOT EVEN KNOW THE GUY.
MAY JAMES' GENTLE SOUL REST IN ETERNAL PEACE