APC rewriting history

On June 7th, this year, Chernor Ojuku Sesay, Information Attaché of the Sierra Leone Embassy in Brussels, Belgium opined in “NPRC-Never Again” supporting the inquest into the death of James Bambay Kamara, Lt. Colonel James Yaya Kanu and the 27 people killed by the NPRC junta. The questions Sesay did not address in his opinion were why Lt. Col. Kanu who was his uncle and Bambay Kamara killed?

Kanu was a member of the “Ekutay” a Limba hegemony which had destroyed the economy, was tyrannous and murdered their political opponents. He was arrested after an interview he had with Robyn White of the British Broadcasting Corporation disassociating himself with the junta who were on the verge of overthrowing the late President Joseph Momoh’s All People’s Congress (APC).

Sesay wrote that “No matter what other people may say about him, the fact remains that Bambay Kamara happens to be one of the most generous and philanthropic individuals I’ve ever come across. He was not only generous, but very hard working, being always the first to report for duty at the police HQ and the last to leave. He was a friend of most journalists in the country, carrying us to his Mafonikay farm every weekend.”

One Man’s philanthropist can be another Man’s TYRANT. Sesay does not mention Kamara’s involvement in the trial of Dr. Mohamed Sorie Forna and 14 others where witnesses were coerced to implicate

Dr. Mohamed Sorie Forna and Ibrahim Taqi in the “assassination” attempt of the late C.A. Kamara-Taylor. Forna, Taqi, Brigadier David Lansana, Bai M’Kari NSilk, and Lieutenant Habib Lansana Kamara were executed for a bogus coup on July 19, 1975.

Kamara was also complicit in the murder of the then Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone, Samuel Bangura in December of 1979 who had disagreements with President Siaka Stevens about the financial detriment of Sierra Leone hosting the 1980 session of the Organisation of African Unity.

Sesay also opined that ”The executions of Sorie Forna, Francis Minah, GMT Kaikai which they mentioned in their release was sanctioned by a competent court of law no matter how flawed the trials might be.”

Frankly, I do not expect MUCH for those who are associated with, or, are supporters of the APC.

During the trial of Dr. Forna and 14 others the presiding Judge Marcus Cole “reported” to the home of the then Vice-Presidents S.I. Koroma on the court proceedings. Their defence lawyers never met privately with their clients to prepare for the trial.

Dr. Forna’s family had retained the services of the notable lawyer Berthan Macauley, who was living overseas. Miss Dworzak, a friend of Forna and also a relative of Macauley’s was in prison for her involvement in the “coup”  On his arrival in Freetown Macauley was forced into an exchange by Stevens whereby she would be released if Macauley did not represent Forna.

As the old adage goes “Blood is thicker than water”. Macauley accepted Stevens’ offer. Dworzak was released, left Freetown with Macauley, and Forna was HANGED.

Sesay further CONTRADICTS himself, “The executions of Sorie Forna, Francis Minah, and GMT Kaikai which they mentioned in their release were sanctioned by a competent court of law no matter how flawed the trials might be.” Does he know the definition of competent and flawed?

How can the court be competent (adjective: capable; fit, sufficient) and the trials flawed (noun: crack; a fault as in reasoning). If the court of Marcus-Cole was capable it would have permitted for the defense lawyers to have had sufficient time to prepare for the case by meeting with the accused and would have not consented to the “exchange” of Dworzak being released, and for Macauley not to defend Forna.

But Sesay’s theory of competent court and flawed trial does not end there. After Forna and company had been found guilty for treason they appealed to the Supreme Court. But Justice Livesy-Luke REFUSED for their appeal to be heard.

Sesay’s APC DESTROYED the separation of powers between the three branches of government, the legislative, executive and the judiciary. In 1969 the APC dominated House of Representative rescinded the right to appeal to a Civilian Court when an accused is found guilty in a military court or court martial.

When Berthan Macauley and the late Sam Hingha Norman were found guilty of the first coup attempt in Sierra Leone’s history in a military court, they were later found NOT GUILTY when their appeals were heard by the Supreme Court. THIS WAS NOT A RIGHT FOR Forna, Taqi, Brigadier David Lansana, Bai M’Kari NSilk, Lieutenant Habib Lansana Kamara, Francis Minah, GMT Kaikai and others.

Sesay also said that, “Immediately the paper hit the streets, the then Second-in-Command, Solomon Anthony James Musa (SAJ) released his thugs of soldiers to arrest me. I was picked up from my 1 Short Street office in the morning hours of December 4th, 1992, bundled and thrown into a waiting military truck like a bag of charcoal, off to the office of SAJ Musa at Tower Hill”.

At SAJ Musa’s office, I received the beating of my life from SAJ himself, an excruciating torture not worth recounting. After beating me to his satisfaction, he instructed the then head of the CID, Teddy Williams who was present at SAJ’s office when the beating was going on, “to lock me up at one of those filthy CID cells until he gets further instructions from him”. Teddy Williams did just that.

May I remind Chernoh Ojuku Sesay that it was his APC that introduced thuggery in Sierra Leone’s body politic that started during the March 1967 elections and continues to this day? Wasn’t it the RESPONSIBILITY of his “philanthropist” Bambay Kamara to keep those cells spick and spank?

Didn’t the aforementioned Kamara sanction the brutal beating and torture of the late Lt. Habib Lansana Kamara which led to the latter confessing to a treasonous crime he did not commit?

As far as the Attorney General and Minister of Justice Hon. Abdul Serry-Kamal, I was expecting much from him given that he fought against injustice when he represented the late Corporal Tamba Gborie in the treason trial of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) It is now evident that he, Serry-Kamal was OPPOSED to Kabbah’s Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) rather than unfairness.

If he believes in the TRUTH why doesn’t he have an inquest into the trials of all those whom his APC. party murdered in cold blood starting with the court martial of Brigadier John Amadu Bangura, Majors Farrah Jawara, and S.E. Momoh and Lieutenant Kolugbondah; Dr. Forna, Ibrahim Taqi, Lt. Habib Lansana Kamara, Brigadier David Lansana, and Bai Mkari N’Silk; Francis Minah, GMT Kaika and others, and the trial of those 29 AFRC soldiers executed by Kabbah’s SLPP?

Since Serry-Kamal is related to the late Brigadier John Amadu Bangura what does he PUBLICLY THINK of his trial and execution by Siaka Stevens and his APC?

Suddenly, the APC has become choir boys who are concerned about human rights, please.

By Tamba Brima

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