By Chernor Alimamy Kamara
The main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) Party has expressed dismay and anguish over violent attacks on their party officials and supporters by ‘state apparatus’ on the 22nd February 2023 during the return of their Flag bearer, Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara and other elected members to Freetown from their Delegates Conference in Makeni.
The party stated that they were given full permission and cover by the Sierra Leone Police to go ahead with their activities.
They made this disclosure to press men at their party headquarters in Freetown on the 28th of February 2023.
The APC recalled the 22nd of February and their ‘triumphant entry’ to Freetown where they said hundreds of party faithful flooded the streets to show solidarity for their June 24th Presidential candidate. They added that having seen the remarkable and spontaneous gathering of Sierra Leoneans like never before, the ‘state apparatus’ sprang into action to ‘quench’ the peaceful solidarity displayed and hurt the camaraderie shown by their supporters.
The party went on to say that they received reports of violent and unprovoked physical attacks on their National Secretary General, Lawyer Lansana Dumbuya, and his entourage, the driver and security personnel of the Mayor of Freetown Municipality, Yvonne Aki Sawyer, wife of former Finance Minister, Jennifer Kargbo, and the seizure of the vehicle of the former deputy lands minister, Mahmoud Tarawally.
The party was also concerned about the molestation and temporary detention of Retired Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Karrow Kamara and other sympathizers that were allegedly perpetrated by State Security Forces who they believed to be members of the Presidential Guard Force at a checkpoint mounted close to the State Lodge at Hill Station.
“Like any other unsuspecting vehicular users of the road, these people were passing by peacefully and without any crowd. Our Secretary General and the passengers were asked out of his vehicle, his red cap roughly taken off his head and he was ordered to lay prostrate on the floor while his vehicle was ransacked,” the statement reads.
The APC scribe was said to have been beaten up mercilessly leaving him with visible physical injuries and psychological trauma. He is said to be under medical care while his properties are yet to be returned.
The party also told pressmen that, there was another police brutality on their supporters at Calaba Town having been provoked by members of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party’s (SLPP) at their ‘Ataya base’. They said the police intervened by firing tear gas canisters, and beating and bundling their supporters in trucks.
The party reiterated that they are still yet to locate some of their supporters who were ‘manhandled’ and/or retrieve the vehicles and other property taken from them.
The APC party in the statement vehemently condemned all acts of violence, harassment, and gross human rights abuses meted out by ‘State Security Forces’ on their supporters. They therefore called on the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and Office of National Security (ONS) to investigate the cases of violence and human right abuses on their members and to bring the perpetrators to book.
They equally called on President Julius Maada Bio's led government to condemn the violent acts and facilitate the swift investigation of perpetrators to dispel any belief that the government had any hand in the intimidation and assault of their members.
They concluded the press conference by urging their members to remain law abiding as they said, their party will not afford to jeopardize the peace of the nation.
The newly elected executive members of the party from the recently concluded National delegate conference in Makeni, Northern Sierra Leone were earlier introduced to the media.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (03/03/23)
