By Saio Marrah
Both Police and the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) have given varied accounts of events around the precinct of the party’s Old Railway Line, Freetown headquarters on Wednesday 21st June, following a planned March by APC supporters.
APC’s Publicity Secretary, Sidi Yayah Tunis accused Police and Military personnel of being responsible for the death of one of their members that day.
Tunis told Politico in a Phone interview on Thursday 22nd June that a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) installed at the office showed footage of people who fired and what transpired.
“They said someone fired from our building and they were showing shells of an AK-47. Anyone who knows about guns will know that where you fired the gun from is where the shell will fall. So somebody will not be in the APC building firing and for the shells to fall in the street where the police and the soldiers were. It is not possible,” the spokesman argued.
He said the police should be honest with the people, and denied of APC harbouring Ex-combatants, guns or teargas canisters in their office.
He claimed it was a peaceful protest but that the security forces started firing at the office and that someone died in the process. “That was unfortunate. Let them take responsibility for their heavy handedness with which they responded to a peaceful protest,” he said.
He alleged a video footage showed somebody on a motorbike stop in front of building and fired shots from an AK-47 rifle at the building.
He also noted that the National Secretary General of the APC, Lansana Dumbuya, did not make inciting statement, but merely called their party members to a peaceful protest so they could present a letter to the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone’s office. He also admitted that the secretary general also called on their supporters to assemble at their party office.
Tunis also pointed out that the first meeting, which was organized by the police, APC did not attend because they were with the view that it was the same meeting they were to have with the PPRC.
He said the leadership of the political party went for another arranged meeting with the police and waited for about 45 minutes, but the police did not show up.
At a police press conference on Wednesday 21st June 2023, the Head of Operations, Assistant -Inspector General of Police, Brima Jah claimed that five gun shots were fired from the direction of the APC party headquarters during the Wednesday protest.
Jah denied any loss of life and claimed no Morgue acknowledged receiving any dead body from that incident.
He alleged two bullet shells came from a pistol and three from an AK 47 rifle. AIG Jah said the security forces did not fire a single shot when they went to the scene.
He also disclosed that 66 people were arrested in relation to Wednesday’s protests, in various parts of the Western Area.
According to Jah, on two occasions, the APC had notified police of staging a peaceful march to the office of the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), but that the request was not granted because police invited APC to meetings twice, in response to the two notifications, but the party leaders did not show up.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (23/06/23)
