In keeping with Dave’s 1997 prophetic
warning to Charles Taylor (the ruthless warlord
turned President who was exiled to Nigeria in
2003), he was recently arrested and handcuffed
while trying to escape from Nigeria. He is now
standing trial in Freetown for his crimes against
humanity. Dave had repeated the warning that
he had received from God in two identical dreams
to Taylor. He proclaimed that if Taylor did
not stop his leadership of ritualistic killings
and cannibalism, there would be consequences:
his rule would end far sooner than he thought,
his name would be a curse in all Liberia, and
violence and judgment would be upon his family
to the third and fourth generation. Taylor refused
to take the warning seriously and repent. He
failed in his attempt to escape Nigeria. He
went missing on Monday from his southern villa
in Callabar after Nigeria announced that Liberia
was free to arrest him. On Wednesday he was
arrested at the Cameroon border dressed in a
long white robe and driving a Range Rover with
diplomatic plates and sacks full of money. Taylor
was then taken to the Nigerian capital, Abuja,
where he was flown by jet plane to Monrovia.
Dave and I and the
kids were in Ganta at a staff meeting at the
time when we received the security text message
of his imminent arrival to Monrovia. Although
security was tight, with gun-ship helicopters
overhead and a large number of troops on the
ground, everything went without a hitch. Taylor
was hustled directly into a United Nations helicopter
and taken to Freetown to stand trial for war
crimes and crimes against humanity.
The staff all breathed
a sigh of relief and we lifted our thanksgiving
to the Lord for answering our prayers by bringing
this man to justice after he destroyed the lives
of so many.
Charles Taylor faces
17 charges of war crimes and crimes against
humanity over his alleged role in the brutal
civil war in Sierra Leone where he is accused
of leading and or backing the rebels.
Taylor is also
accused of selling diamonds and buying weapons
for the Revolutionary United Front rebels who
were notorious for hacking off the hands and
legs of civilians during their decade-long war.
