Freetown over the years has been known for street trading of different kinds in most major streets as a source of livelihood.

Unfortunately, some of those pretending to be traders are scammers who dupe innocent citizens.

In that light, a popular journalist and lecturer Sheku Putka Kamara has narrated his encounter with some of these scammers and called in the authorities concerned to take appropriate actions.

“I was home from morning to 12:46 p.m when I left for the Jumaah Prayer and at the Masjid, our Imaam hardly disappoints. Today, he spoke about the need to enhance justice and freedom… Rightist norms to cut it short. He also spoke about death’s inevitability and surely, that’s something we all need to be thinking about. This globe is temporal. Be at peace and be true to thyself…

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But then, just after prayer, I had to reach Freetown’s CBD to sort a few things. In one of the busy streets, a young man approached me, uninvited! Now, I’d come to those that do that almost rudely, and what have you… For this young man today, he bears the name Mohamed and like you’d exchange a few lines with some random fellow, I told him that the name is cool just as my last son’s. Clearly, I wanted to be true to him and to show that we are one SALONE PEOPLE. Fast forward, he wanted me to buy what I did not plan to (now you may guess what happened !). I asked for a small android phone. Le 500 is the least you could get. Bring one and let me, I ordered. Boom! The phone landed. I checked and it’s cool. If I buy it, he’d get a commission and so since he was beginning to act like my friend and new-found extra son, I paid for the phone. They were shocked. I understand all their scamming tactics. Before you know it, the phone which was to be sold at Le 500 is now Le 750. I smiled and told them that I’m no longer interested. I use three lines; (Orange, Africell, and Qcell). That’s some huge burden already. I was only going to assess how insincere and pathetic some of our boys could be.

I left the scene, but Mohamed was still after me. I had already given him Le 50 as his catch from my Friday charity. I knew he was part of the cartel, but I needed to teach them a lesson. He asked for my number. I gave him my card. I walked off, hoping that I’d get a call or text from Mohamed. No way! He may have noticed that I am a Journalist and a Lecturer and so you guess that…

Ending this note, I will call on Government through responsible MDAs to do something about the very many guys parading the streets of Freetown rather sheepishly. For those others, that pretentiously act as business people (knowing very well that scamming the unsuspecting public) is what they know best, today was a bad day for the ones I engaged. I hope it never gets better for all cartels! Imagine the numerous havocs they’ve been causing. God help us.

We have a lot of fixing to do in this country. Freetown is obviously the center. I tell some of my students that some people have no business in Freetown. Absolutely!”.