By COCORIOKO REPORTERS
Tension is high in Sierra Leone as the Anti-Corruption Commission ( ACC ) meets former President Ernest Bai Koroma today in Makeni to question him on issues raised in the recent Commissions of Inquiry Report and the Government White Paper.
The meeting was actually slated to have taken place in Freetown this past Monday October 5, 2020. Last week, BBC Reporter Umaru Fofana put out this report on Facebook :
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*Sierra Leone’s former president, Ernest Bai Koroma has been asked to appear before the Anti Corruption Commission on Monday 5 October, according to an invite sent to him this morning. ACC says he’s being investigated for issues bordering on a Chinese mining company called Xin Lin, the procurement of 100 buses, a NASSIT market project, and houses said to be owned by him as raised in a White Paper released last week. There’s been no reaction from the former president or his party to the latest development, nor is it clear whether he will honour the request. It comes a day after a travel ban was slammed on him and more than 100 other people of interest.* Umaru Fofana
Shortly after this report by Umaru Fofana , tension mounted throughout the nation . Supporters of the former president, to whom he is a cult hero, started posting reports on social media that they will storm the capital to accompany the former president to the ICC. Supporters were saying for instance that the whole of Makeni would accmpany the ex-president and on the way they would pick up Lunsar, Masiaka, Hastings , Waterloo and Calabar Town to come with them to Freetown.
Ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party ( SLPP ) supporters, on the other hand, trolled supporters of President Koroma and the opposition All People’s Congress ( APC ) that they will be provoking a repeat performance of the army/police killings of APC youths in Makeni two months ago during the standby generator demonstration. Seeming to enjoy the killings of APC supporters and innocent citizens by security forces since President Bio came to power in 2018, SLPP used them to threaten supporters of the former president.
In defiance, President Koroma’s supporters even said they were declaring a BLACK MONDAY in Freetown on the day of President Koroma’s appearance before the ACC . They said thousands of their supporters will don black and accompany the former president to the ACC.
As tension escalated, the U.S. Embassy issued the following security alert for its citizens in Sierra Leone.
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Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone (October 4, 2020)
Location: Central Freetown and Makeni, Sierra Leone
Event: Former President Ernest Bai Koroma will be questioned by the Anti-Corruption Commission on Monday, October 5. Street closures and spontaneous demonstrations are possible. U.S. Embassy personnel have been advised to avoid the area and remain alert while travelling.
Actions to Take:
- Avoid the areas that may be affected by this event which include, but are not limited to, central Freetown and Makeni.
- Monitor local media for updates.
- Avoid crowds.
- Be aware of your surroundings.
Assistance:
- U.S. Embassy Freetown, Sierra Leone
Southridge, Hill Station
+(232) 99 105 5000
[email protected]
https://sl.usembassy.gov - State Department – Consular Affairs
888-407-4747 or 202-501-4444 - Sierra Leone Country Information
- Enroll in Safe Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive security updates
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
By U.S. Embassy Freetown | 4 October, 2020 | Topics: Alert, U.S. Citizen Services
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However, smelling trouble, the SLPP Government started procrastinating , with the Anti-Corruption chief, Ben Keifala, telling a local newspaper that the ACC was amenable to negotiations that would have the ACC traveling to Makeni instead to meet President Koroma.
It also became known that the ACC itself has decided to meet President Koroma in Makeni today, Thursday October 8, 2020.
