There is a lot of disagreement already about the events that rocked Sierra Leone during the week of 26th November to 4th December, 2023 when according to the head of state “a group of ruthless hooligans” attacked the military arms dump at Wilberforce Barracks, made away with some arms and ammunition, and made their way to the central prison at Pademba Road where they freed 1,890 prisoners facing various charges, even up to murder and other serious crimes against the state.
In his speech a week after the shootings and explosions that came from the Murray Town and Wilberforce axis, the president said the action by these military hooligans was a coup.
Without stating facts about the investigation that came to such a conclusion, the president’s claims that his government was almost overthrown in a coup is in stark contrast to what his head of army and police have to say about the events of 26th November to present.
In his speech to the public, head of the army Lieutenant-General Peter Lavahun dismissed claims of a coup although he admitted that arms and ammunition were carted away by the assailants whose arrest is of great importance to him and all involved in the investigation.
But, with the Chief of Defence Staff saying one thing and the police chief and president saying another, what happened last week and who is responsible?
Members of the Sierra Leonean public want to know, if it wasn’t a coup, as stated by the CDC, then what was it? The public also want to know what the evidence says and who were in charge at the armoury and the prisons.
This situation is very funny. A bunch of renegade soldiers planned and executed something so vast and dramatic, yet no one in the army, police, prisons, Office of National Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs had a clue that this was being planned?
Seriously, let us consider that is responsible for what happened at the armoury, and the head of prison is responsible for what happened at the country’s main correctional facility.
Heads of ONS and Ministry of Internal Affairs should know based on the expectation that they will have agents all around the country that feed them information.
These are the people we call snitches. You want to tell me that such an action was planned and executed without the heads of all these security agencies not knowing anything? We doubt this.
The police brass who spoke to this medium said naturally and as a matter of best practice, it is too soon to say it was or wasn’t a coup. In the midst of the investigation, heads of the police, the army, the ONS, prison and the Minister of Internal Affairs should have all stepped down to make way for others to investigate.
No one will trust the sincerity of the president’s claims that some soldiers planned to overthrow him while these people are in their positions.
The nation thinks that this whole thing was staged to prevent the nation heading into a runoff of the disputed presidential elections result.
We have three very powerful men, the heads of the police and army and their boss the President all contradicting themselves as to what happened without any evidence to substantiate their claims.
If we are to take them serious they should step down and let the president call up others for investigation
He said no one will or should trust any investigation headed by the heads of the army, police, ONS, prison and the Ministry of Internal Affairs as they are expected to be investigating themselves and those under them.
If this was a coup then we should expect for many names to come out. The thing about a coup is not those who put their faces and necks on the line.
The real fear is those in the shadows who make sure that everything runs smoothly for the coupists to succeed.
Such people only come out after the success of the coup plot. Do you know the process for arms to be released from the armoury?
How about the process to open every cell in a prison? This is not the work for one or two people.
There are many people involved in this if it was a coup. The only way we will find out is if the heads of all the state security apparatus step down.
The president should see to it that this happens if anyone is to take them serious that what has happened was a failed coup.
Meanwhile, as the whole world is eyeing Sierra Leone, a lot of people are convinced that we will not get to the bottom of what has happened since 26th November because the ones heading the investigations should also be investigated.
You cannot head an investigation like this as head of any state security apparatus. They have all been compromised by the events of the 26th November to present. It will be hard to accept any of their findings. We need fresh faces to mount this investigation.
The reputation of the state and people are at risk of being tarnished if we don’t get to the bottom of all the lives and properties lost since 26th November.