The Government of Sierra Leone has declared Alpha Amadu Conteh wanted for his alleged involvement in the bloody 10th August, 2022, nationwide protest action that claimed the lives of six (6) police officers and twenty-one (21) innocent civilians.
Conteh is wanted in connection with the protest that was organised by grassroots members of the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) political party to highlight the widespread hardship and suffering the people were experiencing under the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) led government headed by president Julius Maada Bio.
The Government say videos on social media show large crowds of protesters including Alpha Amadu Conteh burning wheels in the east end part of Freetown while other footages show a group of them throwing rocks on streets filled with whitish smoke. Another group was said seen attacking police officers.
Meanwhile many international bodies including ECOWAS and civil society organisations (CSO’s) have condemned the violence they say the Government of Sierra Leone continues to perpetrate against citizens, making this call in a Twitter (now X) post for the Sierra Leone Government to stop violating peaceful protesters and their rights of freedom of speech, assembly, and peaceful protest.
In Sierra Leone the right to peaceful assembly by members of the public is tightly controlled as citizens are required to first get permission from the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) stating their reason or reasons for protesting. It is common practice for the SLP to refuse such requests to protest against the government, for who and the president the police openly say they serve over the interest of the citizenry whose taxes pay their salary.
It must be noted that scores of citizens have been murdered on the streets by state security officers for protest actions since 2018 including at Mile 98, Tonko Limba, Lunsar, Makeni, at the Pademba Road maximum security correctional facility for which no officer has been brought to the court of law to answer for the killing of protesting unarmed citizens.
Meanwhile, the Sierra Leone Government through a public service announcement, has called on all to obey the law and order and assist Government to ensure that the perpetrators of the deadly violence to be identified and brought before the law.
After the bloody protest, Sierra Leone’s president, Julius Mada Bio, called the protesters including the dead “terrorists” and appointed a special investigation committee to investigate the perpetrators. Those arrested during the course of the protests were charged to court and some of them have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
It must be noted that during the 10th August, 2022, nationwide protest organised by main opposition supporters and members, the disgraced former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Lahai Lawrence Leema reportedly led a team of masked and armed police officers who allegedly tracked down and shot and killed citizens believed to have organised the deadly protest.
Leema is known for his disdain for APC supporters and members, out of whose skulls he reportedly stated that he would love to drink tea. Members of the police force were blamed for starting the violence that spiralled out of control for their unprofessional way of handling the protesters.
As the investigation continues for the ring leaders of the 10th August, 2022, nationwide protest, information gathered by the media revealed that Alpha Amadu Conteh was one of the heads who organised and mobilised people to go out and protest.
Alpha Amadu Conteh is still wanted by the Government and is on the run and in hiding, worried that some intelligence officers from the dreaded Internal Affairs ministry and Office of National Security might locate and assassinate him. Conteh disclosed to this medium from his undisclosed location that, “My wife and my family are under threat. I also need to get them out of Sierra Leone.”
In conclusion, the Sierra Leone judiciary is known for passing judgement in line with the expectations of the sitting government and anyone taken before the court with a case against the government is most likely to be found guilty.