csjreport

For those who knew Cedrick Roker, affectionately known as “Papa Sid,” the news of his death has left behind shock, grief and the painful feeling that there was still so much life ahead of him.

Friends and family took to social media to remember the 36-year-old, sharing tributes that painted a picture of a man who meant different things to different people: a brother, a friend, a businessman and someone they believed was working towards a better future.

Friend Nakesha Hall remembered Roker as the “sweetest and realest person,” while another friend described him as a smart schoolmate and “a wonderful young man.”

Reflecting on their history, the friend acknowledged that they had experienced challenges and disagreements, expressing sadness over how things had ended.

Another friend, Joel, said Roker had been “turning his life around for the better.”

His Facebook profile identified him as the owner of 4cccc Landscape and General Maintenance.

For his family, the loss was deeply personal.

His brother, professional basketball player Azaro Roker of the Halifax Hoopers, expressed disbelief in a tribute shared online.

“Still in disbelief, brother. Fly high brother,” he wrote.

His sister, Chavara Roker, owner of Chickcharney Farms, also shared her love for her brother, writing: “We love you so much. RIP Sid.”

Kyle Nesbitt recalled speaking with Roker recently, saying they had just spoken about attending Gary’s funeral.

“Just talk to you to Gary funeral. Now you gone,” he wrote, words that captured their ordinary conversation which became his final memory.

Alongside the tributes came renewed calls for an end to the violence claiming lives in the community.

Shakara Pinder wrote: “All this senseless killin’ need to stop. These criminals don’t value people’s lives.”

According to police, shortly after 4 pm on Saturday, concerned citizens reported to the Carmichael Road Police Station that a 36-year-old man had been shot.

Officers responding to the report found Roker suffering from gunshot injuries.

Police said preliminary investigations indicated that Roker was exiting Apostolic Way in a black Honda when a white van blocked his path. A verbal confrontation reportedly followed over an outstanding debt. Police further alleged that Roker produced a sharp object before another man, who had been observing the incident, arrived with a firearm and shot him. The suspect fled, and the investigation remains ongoing.

The fight over Jonathan Eric Gardiner’s $30,000 is becoming a dispute over how the evidence is presented and whether crucial details were left out.

Gardiner, who is awaiting trial in the United States on drug and firearm charges, is asking a federal judge to order the return of cash seized after the May 12 plane crash off Florida. He is also challenging evidence obtained from three phones and a notebook recovered that day.

In new court filings, Gardiner’s attorney, Susy Ribero-Ayala, argues that US authorities presented the cash in a way that could wrongly suggest the entire amount was connected to a politician and alleged narcotics payments.

The defence says approximately B$5,000 was contained in an envelope labelled with the name “Politician-1,” while approximately B$20,000 had been withdrawn from a Bank of The Bahamas account associated with Top Notch Builders the previous day. The government acknowledged the withdrawal evidence during a June 25 detention hearing, according to the defence filing.

That distinction is important. The presence of a politician’s name on an envelope does not, by itself, establish who received the money, what it was intended for or whether it was connected to criminal activity.

Ribero-Ayala also argues that the government’s affidavit omitted two relevant circumstances: May 12 was election day in the Bahamas, and the country lacked the political-contribution disclosure and limits framework she says would help contextualise the cash.

The defence further disputes how investigators described the evidence. According to Ribero-Ayala, a government photograph shows separate stacks of currency secured with rubber bands inside a white bag, without a politician’s name or handwritten label visible on the currency or its packaging.

Her argument is that investigators may have conflated a limited, labelled envelope with the entire sum, creating a misleading impression that all the money was a politician-directed payment.

These are defence arguments, not findings by the court. The government’s evidence and allegations remain part of the case, and the cash’s source or intended purpose has not been conclusively established by the information presented here.

The dispute raises a broader question about how investigators build a case: when does an omission or description materially change the meaning of evidence? That question is particularly important when an affidavit is used to support investigative or judicial action.

Gardiner is also seeking clarification of the legal authority under which the government continues to hold the money, including whether it is being retained as evidence or subject to forfeiture proceedings.

For the Bahamas, the case carries wider public-interest implications because US court filings have also raised questions about Gardiner’s alleged relationship with Top Notch Builders, a company associated with substantial government contracts. Those allegations do not, on their own, establish wrongdoing in the awarding of those contracts.

Ultimately, the court must assess the evidence and the competing arguments. The public, meanwhile, should distinguish between what investigators allege, what the defence disputes and what has actually been established.

For 25 years, Oneil Williams has carried the Bahamas with him across finish lines, international competitions and countries many Bahamians may never get the chance to visit.

Now, the record-holding distance runner says he is facing a different kind of struggle, finding a job at home.

The 43-year-old father says he has been unemployed for eight months since returning to the Bahamas after living and training in Kenya. Despite reaching out to senior government officials, Williams says his search for employment has left him stressed, frustrated and questioning what his years of sacrifice have amounted to.

“I just feel defeated… who can you turn to?” he asked in a social media post.

Williams said he has spoken with Prime Minister Philip Davis, Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell and Sports Minister Mario Bowleg, but has yet to see anything materialize.

He also sought employment at the Ministry of Education, only to be rejected, a disappointment he finds difficult to understand given his qualifications and the country’s need for teachers.

“Even the ministry that needs teachers, I can’t get a job there?” he lamented.

Williams holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and has spent decades building a legacy in Bahamian athletics. From his early days competing at the CARIFTA level to representing the country as an adult, he says he has dedicated much of his life to wearing the national colours with pride.

He recalls travelling to places including Lithuania and Sweden, competing internationally and carrying the Bahamian flag into arenas far from home.

“I’ve been running for this country for the past 25 years, holding the flag high, going around the world,” he said.

Now, he is trying to make ends meet through a small coaching job on weekends, assisting CARIFTA athletes. The work provides some income, but Williams says it does not pay much.

For someone who has spent years pursuing excellence and helping develop the next generation of athletes, the uncertainty has taken an emotional toll.

His frustration is compounded by the fact that he says he campaigned for the Progressive Liberal Party during the general election, yet remains unable to secure employment.

“That’s weird bro, that’s weird,” he said.

After carrying the flag around the world, Williams is now asking whether there is a place for him at home.

If you want to wield authority, you must first understand rules and the limits of your power.

Sylvanus Petty’s North Eleuthera MP’s latest parliamentary comment has forced many to question: Does he fully appreciate what public office demands of the person holding it?

As Deputy Speaker, Petty told Opposition members yesterday: “I’m not interested in the rules. I made a ruling, so sit down.”

It during a heated clash with Opposition MPs in Parliament when Petty made the statement as Opposition challenged his ruling.

That is a remarkable statement from someone occupying a position whose legitimacy depends on parliamentary rules and procedure.

The chair as Deputy Speaker carries an obligation to apply the rules fairly, maintain order and respect the institution. His rulings in the House of Assembly is an exercise of authority within those rules, not a licence to disregard the rules.

And this is not the first time Petty’s public statements have raised questions about his approach to public responsibility:

Sylvanus Petty: “Everyone in the Bahamas is family”

In 2023, Petty resigned as Water and Sewerage Corporation executive chairman after court testimony revealed that his daughter’s company had received a contract valued at $26,000.

During cross-examination, Petty said he did not frown on nepotism. He also indicated that he had no objection to political allies receiving contracts if they were capable.

His explanation? “Everyone in the Bahamas is family.”

But public procurement is not supposed to operate on the logic that everyone is somebody’s relative, friend or political ally. The questions is whether the process is transparent, the conflicts were properly managed and the public received a fair opportunity to benefit.

But Petty’s comments exposed that he has a fundamental issue with understanding power.

Sylvanus Petty’s prime ministerial ambitions, public responsibility

In May 2025, Petty declared he would take a five-year break from frontline politics before returning to pursue the prime minister position. By October, he had reversed course and announced his intention to contest his seat again. He subsequently won North Eleuthera in the May 2026 election.

There is nothing wrong with political ambition, but aspiring to lead a country requires an understanding of institutions, accountability and the limits of personal authority, not just confidence and declarations.

The big question

These episodes raise legitimate questions about the message his public conduct sends to the public.

When a politician dismisses concerns about nepotism, makes sweeping promises about his political future and then declares he is not interested in parliamentary rules, one must ask what standard of accountability he applies to himself.

Public office is not personal property, Parliament is not a personal platform, and a ruling is not above the rules.

Does he truly understand that rules give you the authority?

Prime Minister Philip Davis says the Bahamas has recorded its first fiscal surplus since independence. The opposition says the numbers do not tell the whole story, and a prominent Bahamian banker is warning that the accounting questions need answers before anyone celebrates.

So, what exactly should Bahamians believe?

On preliminary figures, the government boasted that it recorded a $39.3 million surplus for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, with revenue of $3.96 billion against expenditure of $3.92 billion. That represents a significant turnaround from the $84.8 million deficit recorded the previous year.

The debate is over how the numbers were calculated.

The dispute centres on the National Investment Fund (NIF) and the government’s handling of hundreds of millions of dollars in borrowing proceeds and capital investment.

Finance Minister Michael Halkitis previously said approximately $700 million in excess borrowing proceeds was transferred to the NIF, while $310.9 million was used for infrastructure and national assets.

Opposition Leader Michael Pintard and Shadow Minister for Finance Kwasi Thompson argues that NIF-related expenditure should be reflected in the government’s overall fiscal position. The government, meanwhile, has defended its accounting treatment and pointed to the accounts supporting its reported surplus.

If capital works were financed through the NIF, how were those transactions recorded? Was the Fund treated consistently with the accounting rules used for the government’s fiscal balance? What were the legal arrangements governing the accounts, and who authorised the transactions?

Those questions raised determine whether the public can understand the figures being presented.

Fidelity Bank (Bahamas) president Gowon Bowe, speaking to Eye Witness News, cautioned that the reported figures are preliminary, unaudited and subject to change. He has also questioned the treatment of NIF expenditure and pointed to the need for consistent accounting.

There is another detail that needs examining: the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax generated $68.6 million during the fiscal year. Bowe argued that, holding other figures constant, without that revenue the reported surplus would instead have been a deficit of approximately $29.3 million.

That does raise questions about the composition of the result and whether the revenue can be sustained.

The public needs a transparent reconciliation of the money borrowed, transferred, spent and remaining, alongside the accounting treatment applied to those transactions.

The Public Accounts Committee and the Auditor General’s Office have scrutiny roles in the NIF controversy, with questions still being pursued about records, governance and financial controls.

Davis may be right that the country has reached a historic fiscal milestone, but his critics may be right that important questions are still not answered.

The surplus celebrated by the government and dismissed by the Opposition needs understanding. If the numbers withstand scrutiny, the records should help demonstrate that. If adjustments or explanations are needed, the public deserves those too.

But Bahamians need to see clearly how that result was reached.

As Deanko Miller’s casket was closed, marking a final goodbye, tears and cries of anguish filled the Church of the Resurrection.

The grief grew louder as mourners sang “Don’t Cry for Me,” but for those who loved Deanko, the pain of letting him go was impossible to contain.

For Hulanda Williams, the loss was still difficult to comprehend. As she stood to pay tribute to the man she called her brother, she struggled to make sense of a life taken so suddenly.

Deanko was one of two construction workers who died last month after the ground gave way beneath them at a worksite in Lyford Cay. The men were buried beneath the earth and later recovered, but neither survived.

Yet to those gathered to remember him, Deanko was more than the circumstances of his death. He was a brother, a father, a protector and a man whose quiet presence made others feel they could depend on him.

Williams recalled how he became a big brother to her, someone whose character spoke louder than his words.

Deanko, she remembered, was not a man of many words. He had a calm presence, but he wore his heart on his sleeve.

He was protective, loyal and dependable.

“You could count on him,” she said, reflecting on the man whose absence has left a painful void in the lives of those who loved him.

He was also, she said, born to be a father.

Deanko did his best for his two children, embracing the responsibility of fatherhood and giving what he could to those who depended on him.

For Williams, his death was a painful reminder of how quickly life can change, how someone who seems certain to be there tomorrow can be gone before another day begins.

“Love harder and forgive sooner,” she urged the congregation.

Life, she reflected, can feel as though it is promised to us tomorrow, only for everything to change today.

Through her tears, Williams made one thing clear that Deanko would not be forgotten.

“You will not be forgotten,” she wept.

At the Catholic cemetery, mourners approached Deanko’s coffin with red roses, each flower a final expression of love for a man they were not ready to release.

His sister broke down as she placed her farewell into the moment.

“Oh, I love you so much… your sister loves you,” she cried.

Then the rain fell torrentially as the final moments drew closer.

One woman clung to the coffin, grieving a bond that went beyond ordinary words.

“You were like my son… I could depend on you for anything,” she wailed.

As the casket was lowered into the earth, she waved and called out one last time.

“Goodbye D… goodbye my son.”

Video credit: Through the Eyes of Ezra

The last time Stephen Duncombe’s mother held her son, he was lying in a coffin.

At Bahamas Faith Ministries, she leaned over him and hugged him for what would be the final time, her grief breaking through as she wailed and mourned the son she had to say goodbye to.

She and Stephen’s sister were eventually helped back to their seats, tears streaming down their faces.

Holding her daughter’s hand, Stephen’s mother tried to find strength in her faith.

“I thank you, Lord,” she said.

Then, almost as if comforting herself, she added: “He gone be alright.”

For a family and police force mourning a beloved son, brother, colleague and friend, Stephen’s final farewell was a moment filled with pain, but also memories of the life he lived.

Stephen was attached to the Traffic Division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force and died in hospital after being struck by a vehicle while on duty last month.

For Prophetess Anna Marie Glinton-Rolle, Stephen is forever the officer she tried to comfort in his final moments at the scene.

She came to his aid after he was struck, patting his face and fanning him as he lay on the ground.

“He was in good spirits,” she recalled.

Stephen had asked her to make sure his firearm was safe and make sure no one was taking photographs or videos of him.

He asked her to stay beside him.

When other officers suggested she go across the street to get a towel and water, Stephen had asked her to remain with him. Others went to retrieve what was needed.

Then the ambulance arrived.

Before Stephen was taken to hospital, Prophetess Anna Marie prayed with him.

“Amen, amen, amen,” he responded.

She never imagined that would be the last time she would see him.

“He did not show any signs of death. I don’t know what happened,” she said through the grief.

She said the area along Prince Charles Drive is prone to accidents and that she often comes to the aid of people involved in crashes.

But this time, the person she tried to help was someone whose life would soon be mourned by an entire police force.

Among those mourning was Danny Wright, a fellow officer from the RBPF’s 2017 class.

Wright described Stephen as a brother and a supervisor.

“He was a well-rounded officer, the best supervisor,” Smith said.

Their relationship extended beyond the police force. They played backgammon together.

Smith never imagined that the day Stephen was struck would be their last.

His message to those gathered was simple: “Live life full of joy, full of happiness.”

Tony Swabby, a childhood and school friend, remembered another side of Stephen — the jokester, the enthusiastic personality who loved to put on a show.

He took pride in his work and carried an infectious smile and attitude.

“We loved him and he loved us back,” his friend said.

Police Commissioner Shanta Knowles remembered the officer who had become a familiar face on the streets of the Bahamas.

She said Stephen had grown into a “skilled policeman” and a “familiar and popular sight” in the community.

Stephen, she said, had a way of turning simple moments into “something beautiful.”

During the country’s Independence celebrations, Knowles recalled inviting him to a reception at Police Headquarters after he had escorted her.

Stephen apparently made sure his colleagues knew about it.

He proudly told them that he was the Commissioner’s special guest — a moment that drew laughter from those gathered at his funeral.

There was one more recognition Stephen never got the chance to hear. Commissioner Knowles said Stephen had been promoted to the rank of Sergeant in July. But the promotion was only officially announced in October, after his death.

Stephen never knew that he had been promoted.

He had earned the rank, but never got the opportunity to wear it, hear his name called as Sergeant or celebrate the achievement with the people who knew how hard he had worked.

“We loved him; we respected him; we depended on him,” Commissioner Knowles said.

There is something deeply uncomfortable about telling children to be resilient when what they are being asked to endure is something adults have a responsibility to fix.

Education Minister Chester Cooper says power outages can become a “learning opportunity” — a chance to teach children resilience and perseverance.

Resilience is important, but resilience cannot become a substitute for reliable infrastructure.

Because this is not simply a child sitting through one inconvenient afternoon without electricity.

Teachers at C.C. Sweeting have protested after weeks of power failures, saying electrical problems have disrupted classes and created safety concerns. Teachers described classrooms without adequate cooling and lighting, while one teacher recounted students being traumatised after seeing sparks and burning from exposed wiring.

In Eleuthera, teachers and parents have also reported students being dismissed early because classrooms were hot and dark.

So perhaps the question is: “Why are children being asked to demonstrate resilience because the system cannot consistently provide the basic conditions necessary for them to learn?”

We should absolutely teach children perseverance because life will not always be easy.

But public education should not require children to tough it out through preventable infrastructure problems.

Teachers have a right to teach in an environment conducive to teaching and students have a right to learn in an environment conducive to learning.

And government has a responsibility to provide and ensure the infrastructure necessary for both.

And now, after an electrical incident at C.C. Sweeting left three students injured, the conversation about whether schools should simply continue operating becomes even more serious.

The lesson should be that the system needs to become more resilient–more reliable power, better maintenance, proper electrical capacity, faster repairs, clear safety thresholds, and accountability when basic infrastructure fails.

For those who knew Devontae Fleurimar, the 17-year-old was the boy with the unforgettable laugh; the student who could make his former principal joke about girls fighting over him; and the basketball player who had people imagining just how far his talent could take him.

Royalty Preparatory School, where Devontae was a 12th-grade student, remembered him simply: “We remember the laughter, the jokes and all the special moments we shared. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.”

For his mother, Zoe Chyna, the pain is made even harder by how close her son was to reaching a milestone they had dreamed about together.

She imagined herself watching him walk across the stage, finally able to celebrate the young man he had become.

She remembered joking with him about how tall he was and looking forward to telling herself that she had done it, that she had gotten her son to that moment.

Now, instead of preparing to celebrate his graduation, she is preparing to bury him.

“God you could’ve done anything else and I would’ve been okay, my baby birthday in couple days yo,” she wrote after learning of his death.

“That boy was my heart, so this isn’t easy at all.”

Devontae died Sunday after reportedly encountering difficulties while swimming with three other teens in waters near South Sea Estates off Bacardi Road.

Police said they received information around 4:30 p.m. that a male had gone missing while swimming in a canal behind the community.

Matheo Smith remembers him from his own days as a principal, when Devontae was still in junior school.

Because of his distinctive surname, Smith said he rarely called him Devontae. He called him “Fleurimar.”

And he remembers a young man who was respectful, funny and full of personality.

Smith recalled teasing him about the attention he received from girls at school.

“Fleurimar, why you come to my school causing problems and having all these girls fighting over you?”

Devontae’s response would always come with that laugh: “Dr. Smith, it ain’t me man, it’s them.”

Those are the moments Smith says remain with him now.

Smith also remembers Devontae’s love for basketball. He believed the young player had something special.

“This is our next NBA star,” he would tell him.

But beyond the talent, Smith admired Devontae’s determination. He described a young man who could fall down and get back up — someone who kept pushing regardless of what came his way.

That is how he wants him remembered: Young, respectful, talented, driven and full of potential.

Those who knew Zoe Chyna say it was impossible to miss how much Devontae meant to her.

Friend Tatyana Petit remembered asking about her son and watching Zoe’s entire face light up as she spoke about him.

“She told me he was about to graduate,” Petit recalled.

She could hear the pride in the way Devontae’s mother spoke about her son.

Friend Shyquelle Chiann also remembered that bond, describing Zoe’s children as her “whole world.”

“When one mother cries, we all cry,” she wrote, offering prayers and comfort to the family.

Another friend, Shekeva Farquharson, remembered Devontae as “the sweetest young man ever from a child.”

As the Bahamas prepares to welcome King Charles III later this month, Buckingham Palace has made one thing clear: the King will not issue a formal apology for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade, and no reparations will be offered during his Caribbean tour.

The announcement comes weeks after the Bahamas National Reparations Committee (BNRC) called on the British Royal Family not to arrive in the Bahamas “empty-handed,” demanding an apology for slavery and colonisation and renewed action on reparations.

King Charles is scheduled to visit The Bahamas from October 27–29, before travelling to Guyana and then joining Queen Camilla in Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The Palace says the King will not shy away from Britain’s history.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said there are important discussions taking place about the colonial legacy and the intergenerational impact of the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. The Palace also pointed to the King’s previous description of slavery as an “atrocity” that “forever stains our history.”

But there will be a limit to what Charles says or offers.

The Palace says apologies and reparations are matters for governments, while the British Government has maintained that financial reparations are not the answer. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband recently reiterated that position.

That puts the King’s visit in an uncomfortable space.

The BNRC is asking for an apology and reparations and Britain is saying neither is coming.

And yet the King is not simply a foreign dignitary arriving in Nassau. He is King of The Bahamas and the country’s Head of State.

The Palace says the visit will focus primarily on the “vibrant present and promising future” of the countries Charles visits. But slavery, colonialism and reparations are already part of the conversation surrounding his arrival.