By Mabinty M. Kamara
As they mourn the death of their mother, Matron Mahawa Dumbuya the family of the woman has called on the appropriate authorities to ensure that justice is served over her death and that her corpse is released for burial.
Ibrahim Conteh, one of three children of the deceased, told Politico that their mother was a retired matron after thirty years of service in the health sector and that she was part of the medical team of the All Peoples Congress (APC) party. He explained that she had gone to the party office that evening after she got a call to be there.
He said after they saw videos on social media of skirmishes at the party office, they got worried after which they received a call that their mother has been shot.
He said they immediately rushed to the party office but that the security personnel deployed there did not allow them access. He said they then rushed to the King Harman Road hospital where she had worked as a matron before she was transferred to the Makeni government hospital but there were no records of her there. “We were later referred to check the 34 Military Hospital and Life Care. After several searches, we later went to Police headquarters where I made a statement to one Inspector Munu,” he said. He said they later learned that her corpse was still at the party office.
“With a team of police officers from the central police station where I made a statement and mortuary attendants whom we picked up at the Connaught hospital, the personnel that we met at the office who had denied us access allowed us in. They opened the office where we met my mother drowned in a pool of blood,” he said as he cried out.
He said the corpse was then convened to the Connaught morgue that Sunday night. Conteh said they went there the following Monday 26th of June but the remains of the 64-year-old woman weren’t released to them because the police said they were on investigations.
“All we want is to bury the remains of our mother. We are Sierra Leoneans and she served this country diligently throughout her service as a nurse and so she deserved to be treated with respect even in death. We want the media to help us get the desired justice,” the son who is awaiting law school said.
The opposition APC Publicity Secretary Sidi Tunis said they were having a press conference when state security interrupted and started firing teargas and live rounds leading to the death of the elderly woman.
The Police boss, Inspector General of Police William Fayia Sellu had long denied allegations that live rounds were shot at the party office while speaking to the BBC. However, he admitted that teargas canisters were fired in order to disperse the supporters who were claiming victory after the June 24th elections. This according to the IG had a tendency to disturb the peace of the country should the official results to be announced by the Electoral Commissioner proved contrary.
The postmortem result of the deceased is yet to be released as at press time.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (28/06/23)
