The political standoff in Sierra Leone over the rigged June 24, 2023 elections is escalating. A Disturbing rumour which had been going around that senior military officers from the North were being rounded up was confirmed today when the Sierra Leone Police released a public statement announcing that it has indeed arrested senior army personnel.
According to a Police statement published below, the officers were arrested following confirmation of “ intelligence regarding the activities of certain individuals , including senior military officers , working to undermine the peace and tranquility of the state and unleashing violence on peaceful citizens of Sierra Leone. “
But at the onset of the rumour that senior officers were being apprehended, many Sierra Leoneans , who no longer have confidence in the credibility of anything this SLPP government says or writes, believed that it was just fear of perceived consequences of the destruction of democracy by the very SLPP that have prompted the action against the senior officers. The SLPP government is in hot waters with the international community and international stakeholders for rigging the June 24 elections and the arrest of the military officers is being pegged down to fear by the SLPP that the soldiers might move against them .
“‘The government is afraid of its own shadow and it is just continuing its policy of oppressing , suppressing and bumping off perceived opponents , especially those who hail from the Northwest,” a forumite called Abdul Sesay opined at the Cocorioko Whatsapp forum .
The police press release said that, from its preliminary investigations , the senior military officers “ planned to use purported peaceful protests between 7th to 10th August 2023 as a guise to unleash violent attacks against state institutions and peaceful citizens.”
What is however also disturbing is that the arrests of senior officers had started before the recent announcement by the organizers –The People’s Power in Politics ( PPP)- that the protests will be held next week . Therefore, to many people, the accusations do not add up.
COCORIOKO newspaper believes that the SLPP Government may be hurting itself if the coup allegation is just a scare. Instead of de-escalating the political tension in the country, SLPP are heightening it, first by going around provoking ABACHA STREET market women , destroying their stalls and livelihoods, and to cap it , now arresting and detaining senior military officers from the North . Is that the way this government will calm down the political crisis building up in the country , some Sierra Leoneans are inclined to ask.
“At a time like this, President Bio should have been pursuing peace initiatives and confidence – building measures as advised by the U.S. Government. Why does this SLPP government like creating problems and chaos? If at all they are thinking of a stage-managed coup attempt to get rid of senior military officers from the North, it will not bode well for them”, Alie Turay remarked at the Cocorioko Whatsapp forum.
“Who would want to stage a coup in Sierra Leone at this time when AU and ECOWAS are bent on helping corrupt and wicked leaders protect the skeletons in their cupboards than promote real democracy ?” Kenneth Jones asked at Facebook.
A former army officer contacted said no serious military man will want to stage a coup in Sierra Leone at a time like this. “Nar bad name normoh e go dey find? What is there to save in Sierra Leone ? “
But supporters of the ruling party and President Maada Bio believe that there was really a coup plot.
READ COCORIOKO THIS EVENING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT AND AN EDITORIAL.
THE POLICE PUBLIC STATEMENT
Last week, the rumor that military officers were being arrested started with these posts that were distributed all over social media. However, the writers claimed that the military officers arrested were retired servicemen, but from the police statement, we now know that it is not true. At the bottom of their post however, the writers named the officers arrested by the government as seen below. But in their statement, the police did not mention names .
Another school of thought is that the retired military officers arrested are different from the soldiers being accused in the police statement of planning to disturb the peace. It is most likely that the government has arrested both retired and serving military officers.
BELOW ARE THE SOCIAL MEDIA POSTS THAT FIRST ALERTED READERS THAT SERVICE PERSONNEL WERE BEING ARRESTED BY THE SLPP GOVERNMENT.
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BIO IS A REAL COWARD
THE ILLEGAL ARRESTS THAT ARE TAKING PLACE IN SIERRA LEONE HAVE BEEN GOING ON SINCE BIO LOST THE JUNE 24, 2023 ELECTIONS.
BIO’S TARGET IS NORTH/WESTERNERS. SEVERAL RETIRED SENIOR ARMY OFFICERS WHO ARE PREDOMINANTLY NORTH/WESTERNERS, ESPECIALLY TEMNES HAVE BEEN LOCKED ILLEGALLY BY BIO’S MENDE KAMAJOR .
THESE RETIRED OFFICERS WHO ARE PREDOMINANTLY NORTH/WESTERNERS AND MOSTLY THEMNES WERE TARGETED AND ARRESTED BY BIO FOR NO OBVIOUS REASONS ORDER THAN BEING A COWARD.
Bio and several SLPP supporters will pay dearly for their evil actions against north/westerners.
We will never forget nor forgive Bio and hundred of southerners/easterners and SLPP supporters across Sierra Leone who have carried out human rights abuses against our people.
Rtd Major Dr. Mathew Kamara
Rtd Major Alimamy Kamara
Rtd capt Sam Milton Bangura
Rtd Capt Morlai B S Kamara
Rtd Squadron Leader Alfred Kamara
Rtd Delvin Richard Bell
Rtd Samuel Kargbo
Rtd L/Cpt Saccoh Kamara
It should be noted that thousands of people who protested against Bio’s evil administration are currently languishing in jails across the country.
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