By Ralph Sesay
The house of Benjamin Pratt, the Information Officer and Public Relations Officer attached to the Ministry of Sports, Freetown, Sierra Leone was attacked last night, 4th April 2018 and ransacked by the Vigilantes and Task Force Officers of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) immediately when Julius Maada Bio was announced as the winner of the March elections In Sierra Leone.
This sad development has left Benjamin’s Wife and Children and other inmates of the house escaping to seek refuge in unknown locations in the country in order to secure their lives.
One would recall that Benjamin Pratt was amongst a group of Information Officers/PROs who were employed by the APC Led-Government to join the campaign team in the just concluded General Elections in Sierra Leone. He was very instrumental, vociferous and positive about the APC Party winning the said elections on a first round.
He has always been with the campaign team actively helping APC politicians to organize and disseminate their manifestoes and campaign messages on the good intentions the Party has for the people of Sierra Leone.
His active role in the then elections had offended supporters and sympathizers of the ruling party and they were out in the streets on reprisal attacks against such APC Sympathizers.
Mr. Pratt is believed to be out of the country attending the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia. It is evident Mr. Pratt could have been lynched if he was in Freetown as angry mobs were searching for him everywhere
Eye witnesses told this press that the Vigilantes and Task Force Officers clad in green outfit and head-tie terrorized the whole area searching for Mr. Benjamin Pratt to deal with him for his activities during the election campaign and rallies.The where about of his family could not be established since that fateful night when they left the house in search of rescue?
Reprisals, torture, harassment and arbitrary arrest of perceived APC supporters and Public Servants supposedly sympathizing with the party  have become the order of the day and despite appeals on various local media by Civil Society Movements for these ugly activities to stop but all fell on deaf ears. This has led to total chaos and confusion in some parts of the country especially SLPP strongholds. This trend has also negatively impacted on work at various Ministries, departments and agencies where certain individuals have been singled out as not been supportive of the current ruling party.