By Thomas Dixon

Even his death has generated lots of controversy about whether or not the Okada (Bike) Rider deliberately targeted Phillip Neville or it was just an accident.

It has also seen many people venting out venom about the way he practiced his craft as a journalist.

I came to know Neville when he will call me to discuss a lot of critical issues happening in the country and sometimes to get me support his line of thoughts.

Classmates

Most often than not, I will disagree with him. A case in point was the 2018 Run-Off elections when he asked me and late Ibrahim Samura to talk about the “tribal/regional pattern of voting, but we disagreed with him both in his office and on air.

I would always call him Nevile the Devil because he would fiercely exercise his pen on issues of corruption in the country devoid of political affiliation.

Nevil as a journalist wasn’t supposed to be loved by the politicians, Corrupt bankers, Civil Servants and business men he exposed who are now playing the victim card.The last time I spoke to him was in October on the alleged murder investigation involving a Bank Manager which SALONE TIMES and NEW AGE were pursuing and he told me to be careful with it.

“The police have no evidence that Bola killed the lady but you have to be careful because the matter has taken a political slant and the cousin of the deceased is a sniper and he can do anything,” Nevile advised me.

Neville used his pen to fight for the ordinary people in Sierra Leone. All the bad things about him have come from politicians which mean Neville wielded his pen correctly.

If you are in the public space, you are definitely attracting the search light and there is no need for you to be peeved if you become the target of the media. There are ways you challenge the veracity of media reportage. After all, we are all going to die one day whether we are good or bad so let allow the Fearless Pen of Neville to rest in peace.