Tuesday February 28, 2012 - As thieving Nigerian politician is brought to book for massive economic crimes against his own people, we suspect its silence and trepidation along the corridors of State House in Freetown as the James Ibori case has a familiar ring in the thieving circles created by President Ernest Bai Koroma. We appeal to the law enforcement agencies in Western countries to help track all suspected cases of money laundering as well as the creation of sudden fat bank accounts.

Former Delta State governor James Ibori is now cooling his heels in a UK prison wondering where he could have got things so badly wrong, despite all his stolen wealth that he shamelessly flaunted for all to see, never mind the hidden accounts and properties that yet have to come to light. The James Ibori story rings so familiar in Sierra Leone. The UK Daily Mail has noted -

The Nigerian thief started off as a lowly clerk at Wickes, a Do It Yourself (DIY) store where he was caught, tried and found guilty of stealing goods from the store in 1990 and this after he had moved from Nigeria to settle in West London in the 1980's. His next brush with the law was when, a year later after the DIY store theft, he was convicted of handling a stolen credit card.

Moving back to Nigeria, after watching and working out the political possibilities that could come his way if things were carefully manipulated, he worked his way into the confidence of the late Sani Abacha the Nigerian dictator where it is reported that he was employed as a "policy consultant". Seizing every opportunity to feather his nest, it is reported that this thief systematically stole from the public purse, taking kickbacks and transferring state funds to his own bank accounts around the world.

It is quite an interesting read if not a pathetic picture of the heartless actions of those entrusted with the improvement of the welfare of their own people - the reports are all identical in that this depriver of the people was helped in his criminal activity by, yes, you guessed it - family members, including his wife Theresa, sister Christine Ibori-Ibie, his mistress Udoamaka Oniugbo, and Mayfair lawyer Bhadresh Gohil.

UK prosecutors dug deep and uncovered quite a lot including a study of the Nigerian constitution and ramifications for a knave who should have never contested for such a big public office in Nigeria if he had disclosed his convictions in the United Kingdom. Based on their findings, Prosecutor Sasha Wass told the court Ibori concealed his UK criminal record, which would have excluded him from office in Nigeria. 'He was never the legitimate governor and there was effectively a thief in government house,' Miss Wass said. 'As the pretender of that public office, he was able to plunder Delta State's wealth and hand out patronage.' The court heard Ibori abused his position to award contracts to his associates including his sister and his mistress. He was arrested by the Nigerian Economic and Financial Crimes Commission in December 2007, but two years later a court in his home town, Asaba, dismissed the charges saying there was not enough evidence.

Sounds familiar? Oh yes. Remember the matter of one Allieu Sesay, the former head of the National Revenue Authority, the NRA. He was slapped with some 57 counts relating to among others, contracts that were awarded to his wife and other associates. At the end of it all, he and his co-accused were cleared by the High Court - a ruling which left the Head of the Anti Corruption Commission Joseph Fitzgerald Kamara fuming with feigned or real righteous indignation. He told the nation that he would be appealing that decision. What happened to that promised line of action is still awaited.

And for those outside the borders of Sierra Leone, please read and re-read the provisions of the Anti Corruption Act 2008 as there are a couple of things that should send shivers through spines of the corrupt.

Issuing evidence order against person resident in foreign State - 110. The Commissioner may, in respect of any proceedings for a corruption offence, apply to a Judge in chambers for an order directed to any person resident in a foreign State to deliver himself or any document or material in his possession or under his control to the jurisdiction of the Court or, subject to the approval of the foreign State, to the jurisdiction of the Court of the foreign State for the purpose of giving evidence in relation to those proceedings.

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Wednesday February 22, 2012 - Award-wining Sunday Times journalist is killed in Syria. Reports from some quarters that Marie Colvin and colleague photographer Remi Ochlik could have been deliberately targeted by government forces. It was only yesterday that viewers heard her on the BBC One O'Clock news talking about the terrible situation under which civilians have been trying to cope as Syrian government shells rained on the defenceless and unarmed civilian population killing and horrible maiming all that came within that barrage of death and destruction.

The award-winning war correspondent and reporter for the Sunday Times, Marie Colvin is no more. She died today after Syrian guns targeted what she and several colleagues had been using as a make-shift media centre. The Telegraph, reporting on the death of Marie Colvin noted these last hours of her life as she recorded the horrors visited upon the civilian population.

Only yesterday, she had reported on shelling in the city in a video for the BBC, as well as CNN, in which she described the bloodshed as “absolutely sickening”.

And why was she there? Because she felt that the story of what was happening in the beleaguered Syrian city of Homs must be told as it was happening so that the world could know just what she and others had been witnessing, not from the safety of rooms in TV studios far removed from Homs, but right there with the people - telling the world of the atrocities being committed by Assad's forces on his own people.

One new report states that communication between Syrian Army officers intercepted by Lebanese intelligence staff has revealed that direct orders were issued to target the makeshift press centre in which Colvin had been broadcasting. Jean-Pierre Perin, a journalist for the Paris-based Liberation newspaper who was with Colvin in Homs last week, claimed they had been told that the Syrian Army was "deliberately" going to shell their centre. Mr Perin said: "A few days ago we were advised to leave the city urgently and we were told: 'If they (the Syrian Army) find you they will kill you'.

"I then left the city with the journalist from the Sunday Times but then she wanted to go back when she saw that the major offensive had not yet taken place." Mr Perin, who headed to Beirut from Homs, said the Syrians were "fully aware" that the press centre was broadcasting direct evidence of crimes against humanity, including the murdering of women and children. "The Syrian Army issued orders to 'kill any journalist that set foot on Syrian soil'." It was in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, that Mr Perin received news of the intercepted Syrian Army radio traffic. The Syrians knew that if they destroyed the press centre, then there would be "no more information coming out of Homs", said Mr Perin.

This scenario is the same that happened under the beasts of the AFRC/RUF in Sierra Leone during their murderous reign (May 25, 1997 - February 1998) in which journalists thought to be "against the junta" were deliberately targeted. Indeed one of the linchpins in the APC-inspired coup of May 25, 1997, one Zagallo openly boasted that all perceived opponents of the junta would be killed. " I dont care if they are aid workers, red cross personnel or journalists. All will be killed who dare oppose our revolution"

Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik are not the only ones killed because of their attempts to tell the world of what was happening in Homs. Activists who were seen or heard talking to international broadcasters have had their locations targeted and killed.

She was 55.

It is another Sunday, a day when members of the Christian faith should visit real places of Christian worship and to exchange views on how best to show even unto unbelievers that Christianity is a clean, very clean and tolerant religion which respects the integrity of God's creation - man, the generic man.

We raised this before and we would do so again. We had in the past challenged the high priest at the altar of profanities and falsehood of his god ernest bai koroma that he appears to have forgotten his cut an paste sermons as he gets too preoccupied with spewing falsehood all around in order to protect his god and master, the smoke and mirrors character at State House who thinks nothing of doing all things illegal, all things ungodly to get his much treasured "second term".

And so we would again urge him to do a sermon on the theme - "Gluttony is a sin" - in the hope that he will realise that greed is a deadly sin that gets duly rewarded when least expected.

Remember how he boasted that he never visits online forum from where he get his "news" and that he does not use false names? Well an encounter with the administrator of one of those forums bears testimony to this lying charlatan.

We had in the past warned him, the magician at State House that is - that the true God is not mocked and that there will always be a price to be paid. Ernest Bai Koroma has twice tried to play on the Sierra Leonean's fear of God and holding on to religious faiths in times of want and other forms of crises by declaring his so-called Week of Prayer - something which is never, ever honoured by his close associates - for they know that their master always speaks with a forked tongue.

And so it is with great concern that we alerted all Sierra Leoneans and friends of the country to a ceremony, a ritual which was performed at State House and reported by his "new media adviser", of President Ernest Bai Koroma getting married to 100 women all dressed in white - and ending with assurances that he, the smoke and mirrors man will get his "second term" in office. This clearly showed that the whole ritual was aimed at using all means ungodly to retain power, come the November polls.

We raised concern about the fate, the destiny of that six year old girl. We asked child rights groups to monitor and protect that girl for we know and the old hands of the APC know what it means when the "murray-man", "alpha-man", marabout or whatever you may want to call these messengers of the devil ask for a virgin in their rituals.

That six year old, we fear is the sacrificial virgin and again we would urge children's rights activists to ensure that that particular girl used in that State House ritual is not harmed.

That she remains alive and well.

"At State House about midday, January 25, 2012, there was a unique ceremony laden with symbolism that captured the essence and joy of being ‘Sierra Leone an’, and would be highly promotional of one of the most globally marketable character of our Sierra Leonean-ness – our religious tolerance: over one hundred women clad in pure white long flowing dresses and white headscarves from the Brookfield Central Mosque and the Old Railway Line Mosque in Freetown went through a symbolic ‘marriage’ to a fervent Christian, H.E. Ernest Bai Koroma, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone. A calabash and mat, tied with white cloth – traditional symbols of marriage within nearly all the indigenous tribes in Sierra Leone – and a six year old girl (the ‘little bride’), also clad from head to toe in Islamic white clothes, were handed over to President Koroma by the APC Women’s Congress Leader to ‘seal’ the ‘marriage’ between President Koroma, a serious Christian, and the Islamic women, who pleaded with President Koroma to worship in their mosque. President Koroma promised to worship in their mosque in his speech accepting the 100 ‘brides’. The still dashingly handsome President at 58 years of age said with a smile: “Leh God put blessing pan di marrade” (Let God bless this marriage between me and the 100 women). There were chants of “Allahakbah” from the women!!"

How can a President belonging to the Wesleyan Church get immersed in a ritual involving a so-called six year old "little bride" is beyond comprehension...it can only mean one thing - getting his second term using all the dark forces at his command. One commentator on such satanic rituals has told us that in such ceremonies, only those with "the right eyes" would be able to see the evil spirits that are conjured from the pits of hell for use by those who believe in such demon practices. All other "naked" eyes will not see the demons and the settings conjured up by those rituals.

We do not want to go into one case involving one APC minister during the Siaka Stevens government - but journalists at the time would recall just how names of places like Sendugu, Sanda Magbolontor etc etc found their way into the pages of their note books. How do you satisfy a satanic priest's wish that you harvest the body part of someone who has never set eyes on the sun?

We dare not go further for now.

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Saturday February 11, 2012 - Why 11 year old Kadiatu's story published in the UK "Mirror" newspaper must be told again and again.....highlighting how the thieving operatives of the government and ruling party secure what they believe are all the good things in life for self and associates as the unconnected wallow in poverty, filth and deprivation. Sierra Leone's uncaring Nazis and AFRC/RUF apologists exposed again. But do they care?

We are afraid, just as they did in their previous nation-wrecking grip on power for 24 years - they just do not care.

In their little over four years in party the trait running across their handling of the government affairs remains - thieving and looting of the national treasury at every opportunity.

The story of Kadiatu must be told and retold so that Sierra Leoneans, friends of Sierra Leone and all those who care about a country still trying to recover from a decade of a brutal war would have an idea of just what obtains on the ground which the smoke and mirrors President Koroma and his thieving and deceitful associates would not want to be highlighted.

We await his internet flying toilets, managed by vermin to the core to describe John Bishop as another "enemy of the state" - a term reserved for anyone who dares state things are they are on the ground and how the poor, deprived and unconnected try to live in a country where those with paws on the national purse engage in massive looting.

The story - When John met Kadiatu is a moving story - far removed from the fictitious pictures painted by hired "journalists" of the smoke and mirrors President Ernest Bai Koroma.

John Bishop is a stand-up comic whose antics on TV is a delight to many of his admirers as he delves into issues many take for granted until he gets to work on them - to the applause and delight of his numerous fans and audiences all over the United Kingdom.

However John's assignment to Freetown and his story of Kadiatu is no laughing matter. In what appears to be a little spotlight on one aspect of life for the ordinary Sierra Leonean girl, he has set people thinking about just what this means for the survival of children in a country where death always knocks at the door because of a lack of the vaccines and other medications needed to combat preventable diseases like measles.

Fancy this if you will -

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Monday February 6, 2012 - The Diamond Jubilee celebrations are on - 60 years ago today February 6, a Princess becomes the Queen of the United Kingdom while on holiday in Kenya. The waiting game for that crown.

Today marks sixty years of Queen Elizabeth's taking on the mantle of not only Queen of the United Kingdom and the Empire, but also as Head of the Commonwealth of Nations.

To mark this event, a special year-long programme of celebration has been lined up with Her Majesty the Queen making a special Diamond Jubilee thank you message to all her supporters all over the world. A new website is already up and running that is specially dedicated to the Diamond Jubilee.

According to the BBC, then Princess Elizabeth was enjoying a break from royal duties with her husband Prince Philip in Kenya in February 1952 when the news was broken that her father 56 year old King George the Sixth had died suddenly, thus making her the new holder of the post, so to state. And as the story is told and retold of how a Princess on a visit to Kenya came back to the UK as Queen, the lodge/hotel in which the couple had been staying gets mentioned now and again, a piece of history etched in events related to the monarchy - the Treetop Hotel some 100 miles from the capital Nairobi.

The British hunter Jim Corbett, who was also staying at Treetops at the time, later wrote the now famous lines in the visitors' log book: "For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen." At the time, however, Elizabeth had no knowledge of the event that was to change her life.

Also on the pages would be the "little matter" of just when Prince Charles would succeed to the throne and given the history of succession, Prince Charles would have to wait until his mom passes away to the great beyond or in a move that appears far-fetched for now - the Queen deciding she'd had enough and would want her son to take over.

Then there's the matter of the dashing Prince William who is next in line to the throne. He will have to wait until his father Prince Charles passes away after becoming King, but should he decide that he would not make his own reign a life-long affair, then that would pave the way for Prince William to become the new King - but that's taking too many ifs into consideration as no one as yet could read the minds of the Queen nor of Prince Charles for that matter, all that can be stated and written for the time being would be pure speculation.

The public would just have to wait and see what unfolds under the Royal Banner of the British Monarchy.

We join all good peoples of the world in congratulating and wishing Her Majesty the Queen God's richest gifts and pray that she continues to fulfil her role to God and man.