Written by WE YONE NEWSPAPER
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Monday, 16 March 2009 17:26 :True to their nature as a violent party with an uncontrollable membership, members of the opposition SLPP this morning again attempted to prevent the Mayor of Freetown and his staff from entering the Freetown City Council office. According to eyewitness report the SLPP hooligans, who apparently have been in the office for several weeks running, were heard singing Kamajor songs late last night which when translated meant that ‘tomorrow we are again going to show you people that we are the boss’.
Some were also overheard shouting threats against the welfare and well being of the Mayor and other Councilors and were obviously determined to wreck havoc on the Mayor this morning.
However, news about their nefarious plan leaked to the youths who usually rendez-vous at the old bus station and Government Wharf who as early as 6:00am began to gather round about the office of the Mayor determined to protect the Mayor from further attack and harassment by the opposition SLPP.
Popular youth activist of the APC National Youth League Foday Kamara alias Foday Government Wharf upon hearing about the dangerous plan of the opposition SLPP at about 6:00am this morning went to the office of the Freetown City Council from where observed irate SLPP hooligans and misguided youths preparing for another round of attack on the Mayor, councilors and other staff of the Freetown City Council.
Foday Kamara told We Yone that the night security personnel at the office of the Freetown City Council explained the horrific ordeal they had endued throughout the night and appealed to Foday Kamara to use his contacts in the APC to inform the Mayor that he was not secured and should therefore not go to the office today.
“Immediately I got wind of the facts from the night watchmen at the Freetown City Council office” Foday Kamara said “I left for the Police HQ where I met with AIG Munu and informed him about the plan of the opposition SLPP”
It was later understood that AIG Munu took Foday Kamara to the Inspector General of Police Brima Acha Kamara who asked that he should be withheld in custody following his berating of the Police for failing to provide adequate security for the Mayor, councilors and other council staff.
Meanwhile, reports state that staff of the Freetown City Council who were reporting for work as early as 6:30 were prevented by irate SLPP youths from entering into the Council premise.
This, according to eyewitness angered the area youths who by this were swelling in disgust as the SLPP continue their show of threat and intimidation.
Eyewitness told We Yone that one of the Council workers had insisted that he should not be prevented from entering his office on a Monday morning and a scuffle ensued between him and a group of irate SLPP youths who had tried to prevent from entering the Freetown city Council office.
“While the scuffle between the Council staff and the thugs heated, one of the attempted to hit the Council worker on his head but the Council worker was swift enough to dodge his jab and because of his physical fitness he simply bundled the irate SLPP thug out of his way” the eyewitness said pointing out that it was then stones started coming from within the office of the opposition SLPP HQ.
The worker and many other council workers who beginning to report for work at that time had to escape the riotous conduct of these SLPP hoodlums but the area youths who expressed their disgust and outright condemnation of the attitude and activities of the opposition SLPP took upon themselves to retaliate on behalf of the council staff since it was apparently clear that the Police were unable to intervene because they were yet to receive orders from the Inspector General.
The situation became aggravated by the SLPP Secretary General Jacob Jusu Saffa while during an interview over the UN radio popular programme ‘Tea Break’ sent out a war call to supporters of the SLPP to come to their office to stop the Mayor from entering his office.
However, the timely intervention of highly armed Police patrol at State House saved the day. The police patrol entered the office of the opposition SLPP and arrested well over 32 people who were apparently were in riotous conduct.
The Police discovered machetes, grenade, several bags of cannabis sativa (marijuana), cartoons of white substances considered to be heroine, several crates of beer, stout and rum, bags of rice and bags of stones.
Before the arrival of the police patrol the stone throwing battle between the members of the opposition SLPP within their HQ and the angered area youths had become so intense that the members of the opposition SLPP were again like past Friday’s incident overcome by these area youths who entered their offices and destroyed everything they could lay hands on.
Police has also asked some senior SLPP party stalwarts to reort to the nearest police station.
Meanwhile calm was restored to Freetown and people went about their normal business by midday.
Also, a high power stakeholders meeting between leaders of the political parties and the UN will take place tomorrow at the office of the UN Secretary General special Representatives to Sierra Leone at Mammy Yoko, Aberdeen.
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