Jitters and panic continued to engulf the State House and State Presidential Lodge ever since the ICC invitation dropped into the laps of the illegitimate SLPP regime of Julius Maada Bio. First, they hide the ICC letter. Later they denied the existence of the ICC letter. Finally, they accepted the receipt of the ICC invite. But now, the Vuvuzelas are ridiculously playing with words like ‘Opportunity’ and ‘Request’, and ‘Invite’. Even the so-called educated Presidential Spokesman Alpha Kanu does not know the meaning of ‘Request’ and ‘Invite’. These two words mean the same contextually, Mr Spokesman. No matter the SLPP merry-go-round, the invite from the International Criminal Court ICC has sent a serious message that no one would go scot-free after committing heinous crimes like crimes against humanity. Maada Bio and his criminal cohorts will face justice soon. No wonder, they have already recruited a lawyer to step in to defend the human rights abusers. Only the guilty are afraid. (Photo: Maada Bio, Police Chief Fayia Sellu, killer Lawrence Leema, and Fatmata Sawaneh are some of the SLPP perpetrators of crimes).

Mr Karim AA Khan KC, the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court ICC in The Hague has recently requested an audience with the illegal Sierra Leone President Maada Bio to meet in New York during the United Nations General Assembly UNGA summit on September 19, 2023. The ICC invitation letter to Maada Bio dated August 18, 2023, was the first of its kind to be sent to a sitting Head of State to meet with the ICC boss for discussion. In fact, Bio has been invited because he is not recognised as Head of State internationally after stealing the June 24, 2023 elections. It does not make the central topic of the New York discussion between the two parties public but what is relevant here is the fact that the ICC invitation has opened a can of worms that the Bio presidency is trying to downplay. The SLPP regime hid the letter from the public which they received on August 19 but because it was leaked out a few days later, the Bio Vuvuzelas came out immediately to deny ever receiving such a letter from the ICC. Only the guilty are afraid. (Photo: ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan is ready to usher justice in Sierra Leone).

Finally, however, the Information Minister Chernor Bah confirmed I have received the ICC letter. Bio’s confused Presidential spokesperson Alpha Khan has blundered on the meaning of ‘Request’ and ‘Invitation’. From then on, the inexperienced SLPP spin doctors who continued to say that it was an opportunity for the ICC boss to meet with Maada Bio deliberately misinterpreted the contents of the ICC letter. Hear the buffoon spokesperson Alpha Khan confusing himself with the words ‘Request’ and ‘Invitation’ during the recent AYV interview: “The ICC letter is not an invitation. It is a request by the ICC Prosecutor to meet with President Bio, whose country is a non-permanent member of the Security Council. It is an opportunity for the ICC to discuss with the President.” Both words mean the same Mr Alpha Khan. The continuous spinning by the Bio agents is to misinform and deceive some Sierra Leoneans. What a waste of time. Only the guilty are afraid.

The reality is that the ICC letter is an official invitation to Maada Bio to meet with the ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan KC for the first time. It comes a few days after Concerned Sierra Leoneans Worldwide presented a petition complaint to the ICC against Maada Bio and his SLPP government regarding crimes against humanity in Sierra Leone since 2018. The patriotic protesters are confident that the ICC had written to Maada Bio to meet next month in New York. “We know the ICC invitation has emanated from our August 14, 2023 protest in The Hague. We did it to usher justice for all victims in Sierra Leone.” a member of Concerned Sierra Leoneans Worldwide has proudly noted. Bio’s confused Presidential representative Alpha Khan has blundered on the meaning of ‘Request’ and ‘Invitation’. Both words have similar meanings i.e. ‘to ask or request kindly’. Only the guilty are afraid. (Photo: Alpha Khan’s spin has failed).

However, the Bio presidency continues to downplay the seriousness of the ICC invitation. Political observers vehemently believed that there was and still is secret jittery within the corridors of power after receiving the ICC letter despite the public pretence the SLPP blokes portray. If that is not the case, why has Maada Bio secretly recruited lawyers to accompany him to the ICC meeting? There is no reason why the illegitimate Sierra Leone President Maada Bio should recruit a lawyer to represent him unless he is afraid of his shadow. Only the guilty are so scared, otherwise, Maada Bio should not even think of seeking the services of lawyers let alone recruit legal minds to represent him during the meeting with the ICC Chief Prosecutor. It isn’t easy to reconcile these scenarios. The blunder by Presidential Spokesman Alpha Khan about the meaning of ‘Request’ and ‘Invitation’ shows the panic in the Bio colony. The September 19 meeting is the first step leading to prosecution. Only the guilty are afraid.