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Femi Claudius-Cole, Leader of the Opposition, Unity Party, who also doubles as the Chairpersons for the Consortium of Progressive Political Parties (COPPP), in a very emotional audio making rounds on social media, thanked Sierra Leoneans, his family and friends who stood by her and offered prayers for her when she was locked up by the Police.
Femi stated that she always felt she is alone in her political journey, but added that experience has taught her that she may feel lonely, but she is not alone.
She furthered that the out pouring of support from all works of life has been so humbling, and had given her a completely different perspective to the job at hand, stressing that it is not just about her, and what she has embarked on is bigger than her and she should stay focused and humble, she said.
She stated that she has made up her mind to focus on achieving the goal, as she is not alone, commending the sisterhood support she received.
‘‘Even when I was locked up at a dark cell, based on an order from above, I did not feel lonely, because even with my fellow inmates and the female guards, it was like a sisterhood. It was an attempt by the authorities to punish me or break me, even though it was dark, with mosquitoes and cockroaches, but I never scared. There was a moment when I was very emotional, because it was strange, the things that made me feel emotional, was when I was thinking of others, who have spent a lot of time in this dark cell, spending years in detention. Despite all this the detention has made me strong and bold, as somebody has to lead the way, with courage and boldness’’
My dentation is just for 24hours, but it seemed like a life time and that the take away from the experiences is huge, noting that they will do it again, but that will not change anything, as they will continue to do their work as opposition members, even though the government does not believe in free speech.
She however stated that Diana Konomanyi did not abandon her, and stood by her throughout the difficult times.
The Times SL Newspaper reports that, Femi Claudius-Cole was one of the main opposition members arrested and detained for simply opposing the on-going Mid Term Housing and Population Census, which the World Bank withdrew from on the same basis.
