Police raid office, residence of opposition politician

The residence and office of the presidential flag-bearer of the main opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party in last year’s election were searched for several hours today, Tuesday 13 August 2013. For the second time in three days truckloads of armed police officers and detectives were looking for arms and ammunition as well as suspects they said a tipoff had indicated to them were hidden in the premises of Julius Maada Bio. They found nothing of interest. The head of the police criminal investigations department, Chief Supt Ibrahim Koroma told Politico that the search was in connection with a report made by another member of the SLPP party and wife of the former president Ahmad Tejan Kabbah. Isatu Jabbie alleges that some Bio bodyguards and supporters assaulted her and pelted stones at her car smashing its screen. Sounding very angry, Maada Bio said it was “a grand plan” by the government to use a faction within his party and use the police to weaken the opposition and harass him and his supporters. He expressed fear for his safety saying “I cannot feel safe under the circumstance” because “the state machinery is being used against me”. The latest raid comes just days before the national delegates’ conference of the SLPP where a new national leadership will be elected. While the retired brigadier supports a group of candidates for national positions led by Chief Samanoh Kapen as Chairman and Leader of the party, Mrs Kabbah and the outgoing party chairman John Oponjo Benjamin support another group led by Ambassador Allie E Bangura. There has been no letup in the acrimony and the internal wrangling that preceded and followed the election of Bio as the party’s flag-bearer ahead of last year’s election. Some say the disagreement which is a culmination of the rancour between Bio and Benjamin dates back to the days of the NPRC military junta which both men served and Bio later became the leader of. The democratisation process that followed left some bitter taste in its wake. © Politico Online (13/08/13)