In spite of a peace treaty between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), raids and searches in the homes of opposition politicians continue unabated.
By signing a communiqué which many referred to as the document for peace and national cohesion, government is expected to respect the terms of the document, and work with opposition politicians especially those of the APC to consolidate peace in the country.
Instead of taking measures to improve security in the country, government has however adopted a more radical approach towards opposition politicians apparently to keep them mute on national issues.
Former Works Minister, Honourable Kemo Sesay fell victim to a joint-police and military raid, a move that sent shock waves to APC members, supporters and sympathisers.
The ex-minister’s home in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown was placed under siege few days ago by police and military officers whose mission remained undisclosed.
The officers, according to the minister, went to his residence in his absence for a search mission without a warrant, a move that made him think otherwise.
Since no warrant was shown, the officers were not allowed in but they attempted to force their way by kicking doors and windows.
However, the youth at the compound were with the security operatives every step on the way during the search.
Neighbours who witnessed the event urged the former minister not to reach home at that time fearing for his life. Since he knew that he had committed no crime, he made his way to his residence after contacting his lawyers.
The raid which many saw as illegal ended without anything of state interest found on the residence of the former minister.
It remains unclear whether he would be invited to the Criminal Investigation Department for any wrong doing.
Kemo Sesay’s ordeal came few days after he published signatories to the tollgate road between Freetown and Masiaka with the stipulated prices in the agreement.
The publication showed the names of Joseph Sannoh, Executive Director of Heal Salone and other prominent South-Easterners who signed the agreement between China Railway Seventh Group and Sierra Leone government, and the aim was to lay to rest a controversial issue of a high increase in in the toll tax.
The publication however had negative impact on government’s attempt to raise revenue in a broken economy, and Kemo Sesay was seen as a setback to the new revenue generation project, and silencing him is the only way out.
The former Works Minister who was confident that he was expressing his right to free speech went on to explain how the toll price was bashed at under his tenure even when the price was low as NLe6.
He said SLPP parliamentarians who were in opposition heavily criticised the toll price and forced the then Minister to reduce it to NLe4 for minibuses and NLe2 for cars and tricycles and about NLe300 for haulage vehicles.
However, a 100% toll increase was recently announced for all categories of vehicles by the current Public Works Minister, Denis Sandy in a press briefing held at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Freetown.
The public backlash prompted by the proposed increase resulted into a controversy in parliament with opposition parliamentarians booing at the minister.
The proposed increase has however been put on hold owing to the public backlash which was worsened by Kemo Sesay’s latest publication on the toll agreement, and now he is a target risking arrest at any time.
Honourable Sesay is one of APC’s politicians that is not in government’s good books owing to his critical views against the system.
The former minister was recently picked up and placed in cells for an alleged cyber bullying against the President before taken to the main correctional facility in Freetown where he spent days.
The former minister was however released later by the court. News reports also state that the home of the former Defence Minister, Alfred Paolo Conteh was also raided.
Few Weeks ago, APC’s Deputy Secretary-General, Osman Timbo was attacked by unidentified gunmen creating fear for the family of the APC politician. Sources also intimated this press that Osman Timbo has always stood up for APC and refused mixing up matters.
At the moment, he lives in fear as he does not know when the next attacks would come.
It was also reported that few days ago, armed guards stormed the National Grand Coalition (NGC) office in Freetown apparently to stop them from signing a document that will end their partnership with SLPP.
NGC is an offshoot of SLPP as its former founder and leader, Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella is a senior member of the ruling party.
He broke away from SLPP to form the NGC after he was denied of the party’s flag and same time brutalised by SLPP grassroot supporters.
Late last year, Mr Yumkella abandoned NGC in preference for SLPP after President Julius Maada Bio appealed to elders in Samu Chiefdom in Kambia district in Northern Sierra Leone.
Yumkella’s departure however did not move other members who are still loyal to the party, a move that the ruling party was not comfortable with. The arrest and detention of opposition politicians began in early 2018 after SLPP was declared winner of the elections.
The speedy formation of a commission of inquiry and slamming corruption as well as thuggery-related charges against former government officials was a strong foundation for their incarceration.
The Biobele Georgewill commission of inquiry came into being owing to a recommendation of the Governance Transition Team (GTT) report authored by former Chief Minister, Professor David John Francis and other SLPP hardliners.
The former APC government officials were convicted before they appeared at the hearings as they report tagged then government as a “criminal racketeering enterprise.”
First to fall in the ACC (Anti-Corruption Commission) net was ex-President Ernest Bai Koroma who was accused of graft and money laundering.
He appeared several times at the anti-graft agency for interrogation, but walked free after it was clear that he bore no hand in the loot.
Currently, a fresh albatross is hanging over his neck as he grapples with treason allegation for which he is standing trial in a magistrate court in Freetown.
The former President is however in Nigeria where he is believed to be responding to medical treatment. He is expected to return to court shortly after medics shall have confirmed him fit to stand trial.
At the commissions of inquiry, the President’s name also came up in a list of debtors whose borrowing became bad loans that decapitalised Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, one of the few government’s parastatals.
Former Defence Minister Alfred Conteh was also trapped in a treason case after he took a loaded pistol to State House.
Reports stated that the former minister was invited to State House by the President to help them roll back Corona Virus also known as Covid-19 which had been ravaging several countries.
As a man in the frontline of the anti-Ebola campaign, government expected to tap his expertise in the Covid-19 fight, but situation took a sudden twist after he was accused of staging a putsch against the state.
Conteh spent almost a year at Pa Demba Road prison before he subsequently got back his freedom.
Ex-Social Welfare Minister, Sylvia Olayinka Blyden and several others were also arrested and detained owing to allegations relating to violence and incitement.
The ex-Social Welfare Minister and publisher of Awareness Times was incarcerated for publication of false news, but later released after months in custody.
This time, it is no longer waves of arrest but spate of ceaseless raids and searches in the face of a peace communiqué.