A Short Comment By Prince C. Kamara
It is both unfortunate and disappointing to note that based on local newspaper reports, the Dutch Government is pointing accusing fingers at the Office of National Security (ONS) of Sierra Leone for the disappearance of their internationally wanted notorious drug baron Jos Leijdekkers, otherwise known as Bolle Jos.
To set the record straight, it can be recalled that when the allegations about his sightings in Freetown started, the government of Sierra Leone through the Attorney General’s Office, Sierra Leone Police and Ministry of Information and Civic Education are on record for making valiant efforts to discover the whereabouts of Bolle Jos, if at all he is/was actually living or hiding anywhere in Sierra Leone.
Till date, he is yet to be found although the unproven accusations are still flying around.
Let’s face the fact. If the Dutch Government has any tangible evidence or intelligence about Bolle Jos’ presence in Sierra Leone, it is not unreasonable to state that they have sufficient high-tech state-of-the-art intelligence and security outfits in that country they could easily use to trap Bolle Jos anywhere in the world including Sierra Leone.
In other words, Sierra Leone cannot compare to the Dutch Government in any sense when it comes to super intelligence-gathering and execution of any military operation to snatch him from his very bed if at all Bolle Jos is in Sierra Leone; in similar fashion like the United States security operatives did when they extracted a sitting President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores from right under the noses of Venezuelan authorities right inside his country when they captured him to face on drug and violence-related offenses.
Of course, they succeeded in the mission with support and help from security forces in that country.
It therefore makes one wonder what game the Dutch Government is playing by reportedly blaming Sierra Leone’s Office of National Security (ONS) headed by the dedicated and patriotic National Security Coordinator (NSCoord) Abdulai Caulker, and his team of security specialists, for their own (Dutch Government’s) mistake – allowing Bolle Jos to escape from under their noses and are now reportedly calling the gallant efforts of our ONS a “cat and mouse” game.
But do we blame them – Not at all! We blame our own compatriots who are writing all sorts of demeaning stories putting in very bad and suspicious light the valiant ONS that has always thwarted security threats in Sierra Leone.
What the Dutch Government needs to understand is that Sierra Leone is a sovereign state with its own set of laws, rules and regulations. Singling out the respectable ONS is not respectful unless there is solid and irrefutable evidence for them to make these allegations. We therefore take great exception to this baseless allegation and urge the Dutch Government to apologize if at all they are making such insinuations against the ONS without sufficient proof.
They must also understand that nobody uses the ONS as a scapegoat for their own carelessness in allowing a wanted criminal like Bolle Jos to escape from right under their noses but are now reportedly blaming Sierra Leone’s ONS for their grave mistake. Is it because it is ‘small’ Sierra Leone and not the ‘great’ America, England, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and other big states?
In conclusion, Sierra Leoneans are indebted to the ONS for their proactive stance in curbing violence, gun-running, drug and human trafficking and violence. Sierra Leoneans are grateful to the ONS and cannot take lightly to any individual or country attempting to drag the ONS’ in mud because they are mightier than Sierra Leone. We can stomach anything but not this!
The ONS is nobody’s scapegoat and no one can blame the ONS for their own failings and mistakes.
Meanwhile, the ONS, ONSCoord Abdulai Caulker and his hard-working team must continue to be focused and concentrate on the work at hand as we fast approach the 2028 General Elections which demands water-tight security for it to be peaceful, transparent, free and fair.