By: Benedict AbuBakarr Conteh
If not hundreds, then scores of Sierra Leoneans, especially vocal politicians and political activists who are critiquing the excesses of the Bio-led government, have either fled the country or are in hiding due to intimidation, violence, and death threats they get from members of the ruling Sierra Leone People's Party.
For those who couldn't flee the country, they are incessantly intimidated and bullied and, to an extent, arrested and jailed for challenging governance inadequacies of this regime.
A popular critic who has joined many others to flee the country is Umaro Kamara, who, according to him, narrowly escaped police arrest after the July 19th generator protest that claimed the lives of six civilians in Makeni.
Makeni, in the north of Sierra Leone, witnessed a horrific incident that could only be cited or measured in relation to the eleven years of civil conflict in the country.
The protest, which was organized by young people, mostly vibrant supporters of the main opposition All People’s Congress Party, happened after the country's Energy Ministry decided to relocate the standby generator from Makeni to Lungi, the town that hosts the international airport.
The reason to protest, according to a cross section of protesters, was clear: the standby generator that was relocated to Lungi usually served the people of Makeni when the national power grid was faulty. Therefore, moving it to another location can render the city of Makeni in a total blackout.
On that fateful night when the machine was about to be taken out, youths, through the influence of political activists like Umaru, gathered at the powerhouse and other strategic areas, preventing authorities from taking the generator out.
Their justifiable action met fierce resistance from state security, like armed police officers and military personnel. There was gunfire on almost every street leading to the powerhouse where the generator was placed.
The intense gunfire was throughout the 19th of July and into the morning hours of the following day. In all this, six civilians, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed.
Massive arrests were made, targeting opposition members, mostly those that are critical of the Bio administration. Dozens of arrested persons were transferred to the country's capital, Freetown, where they faced all forms of abuse and violence from state security.
Fortunately for others, they took the risk by jumping from the security vehicle so that they could escape torture and other severe punishments normally inflicted on arrested persons.
Umaru Kamara was among the few arrested persons who ran into a nearby bush while the security vehicle approached Magbalay Bridge - a narrow highway towards the capital, Freetown.
Political activists, critics of the Bio-led government, and people who protest against bad governance, human rights abuses and violations, and the like are normally detained in undisclosed detention centers in the capital, wherein they have access neither to legal representation nor to family members to visit them.
There are reports that few of those incarcerated in hidden cells over time, especially those who couldn't endure the brutal torture, had lost their lives.
In an interview with Police Media Officer of the North East Region, Sgt. John Abass Kamara confirmed that 50 protesters were arrested, and among them, three escaped while taking them to Freetown. He went on to identify the three escapees as Umaru Kamara, Hassan Koroma, and Dauda Dumbuya. Sgt. Kamara confirmed to this medium that search warrants have been issued for the arrest and prosecution of three persons he referred to as fugitives on various charges, including unlawful gatherings, among others.
We further asked the police media officer about the number of days arrested persons would spend in detention. The media officer said he could not tell the exact period they would spend in detention, as, according to him, it's going to be a very long investigation that can last for weeks or months, as protest is a major offense in Sierra Leone, he added.
To date, the whereabouts of the three persons who escaped, including Umaro Kamara, are unknown. We reached out to their relatives in Makeni, but they couldn't say anything about their current situation.
The ongoing political trials and persecution have prompted some political commentators to opine that the country's peace and security is a ticking time bomb due to the continuous political violence. As such, many are advising those who have fled the country for political reasons not to return if they want to live to tell the story of what's prevailing in Sierra Leone.
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