The EASTER weekend peace and serenity in Makeni were shattered last Saturday evening in gruesome and frightening fashion as somebody assassinated the Operational State Division (OSD ) Police Regional Commander assigned to Makeni, Superintendent Mathew Banya, popularly known as Boyka.
The gun attack on the police commander shook the town and people were seen frenetically running for their safety as police and army went around arresting suspects. Journalist Stanley Bangura reported that “Panic has engulfed the city central business district, with people running from nowhere to everywhere!!”
COCORIOKO learnt that Officer Boyka and some of his private security had gone to buy a fan and he was seated in his car waiting for some of his men who had gone into the nearby store by the Makeni Clock Tower to do the purchase for him when suddenly shots rang out. ASP Banya was hit many times by the bullets and died at the scene.
Many Sierra Leoneans are speculating about who could have performed such a brazen assassination that was seemingly accomplished with expertise and precision. SLPP extremists , as should be expected, are blaming the APC as unconfirmed reports swirled also that the slain police chief had taken part in last year’s execution -styled murder of Evangelist Sampson , a famous APC social media influencer and the attack on the party’s flagbearer Samura Kamara at Mile 38 last week. But many Sierra Leoneans were quick to warn SLPP supporters to stop politicizing the incident and jumping to conclusion and wait for the police investigations . In fact, many people opined that it could have been an inside job.
Soon, social media was abuzz with stories of unrest and security hassling of people as they tried to nab the person who committed the diabolical act. Some people feared the worst for Makeni residents, given the stereotypical perceptions held by political extremists of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP) that the town is the seat of opposition to this government. But the Sierra Leone Police moved swiftly to dispel rumours that were spreading on social media that residents of Makeni were under attack and being beaten by security forces.
THIS WAS THE STATEMENT RELEASED BY THE POLICE
As we went to press, it was learnt that about 31 persons had already been arrested by the Police in connection with the act.
HOPE FM 93.3 PUBLISHED THE FOLLOWING UPDATE ON THE INVESTIGATIONS
The Regional Police Commander North-East AIG Sahr Yonba Senesie has told newsmen in Makeni that investigations are ongoing to determine the motivation behind the death of OSD regional commander Mathew Banya aka Boyka who was slain by an unknown assailant in the evening of Saturday 8th April 2023. AIG Senesie says there is no curfew or invoked MAC-P. He urged the public to go about their normal business. He noted that the presence of huge police and military presence around the crime scene and surrounding areas was not intended to create panic but rather to deepen their investigations and appeals for understanding. Merchandise shops and other businesses remain closed. AIG could not comment on whether any arrest was made following the incident. An uneasy calm is gradually returning to the Northern City of Makeni following the killing of OSD North-East regional coordinator ASP Mathew Banya in the evening of Saturday 8th April 2023 along station road by an unknown assailant which resulted in a panic that saw the city center reduced to a ghost center.
Regional crime busters say they have 31 persons in their custody helping in the investigation, the said suspects included 3 women and 28 men reportedly arrested in different locations in the city. The regional commander AIG Sahr Yonka Senesie was hosted on radio HOPE FM:93.3. ‘U en d law’ show where he urged the public to go about their normal businesses and appeal for public corporations in the ongoing investigations on the matter. Local leaders have also called to condemn the killing and extended condolences to the families of the fallen officer and said the action does not represent the true spirit of Makenians, they appealed to the public to volunteer with useful information to police. The Saturday incident is reportedly said to have affected the ongoing collection of voters identify as some centers in the epicenter did not open and those that did outside the surroundings of the crime scene had no one showing up.
