The flag bearer of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) Brigadier (Rtd.) Julius Maada Bio has said in Freetown that he “prefer(s) to give whatever evidence (he has) to an international body” because he longer “trusts” the Sierra Leone Police.
Bio made this statement to journalists just after registering to vote for the 2012 elections at Fudia Terrace in Ward 387, Constituency 110 last Saturday 18th February 2012.
Questioned whether he had been invited to go to the Police because of statements made in a press release he signed Bio said “No I wasn’t invited to go to the police I was asked through the Chairman of the party to make a statement to help the police investigate the claim that I had made in my press release.”
The SLPP flag bearer went on to explain that “its public knowledge I was only a whistleblower I wanted everybody to know that combatants are being re-mobilized and I don’t think that augurs well for our security in this country. It is common knowledge” he said and “everybody knows about it.”
He maintained “I don’t want to be silent about that because the security of this country is paramount, we’ve worked very hard to bring about peace and without peace we cannot develop as a nation; so if I know about it through our contacts all over the country and I also know that reports were made to various police stations around the country – so the police cannot claim they don’t know about it.”
Bio stated further that he has “evidence, I have documentation to the fact that reports were made about the movement of these people in Kenema, in Moyamba, in Bo, in Zimmi and a lot of other places.”
He pointed out that “if the police are claiming innocence – that should scare everybody, if they say they do not know about this.”
Pressed further Bio reiterated “I still hold the view that ex-combatants have been prepositioned in mostly the south east of this country and these are people who do not naturally reside in those areas it has to be only for a sinister motive the police know about it they have evidence and it is quite strange that they are asking me for such evidence.” He added “What I’m saying is reports were made to the police all around the country, so as a matter of fact they actually have the evidence, if they say they do not have the evidence we should be scared as a nation because reports were made to them – infact the evidence I have is actually statements that were made to the police about the presence of these people in various communities around the country and in large numbers and they are not naturally resident in those areas where they were found.”
Maada Bio then went on to express his misgivings about the Police saying “The police have been involved in so many investigations and we’ve not seen a conclusive report about those investigations, they’ve never come up with anything and I know the evidence I have if I give it to them they are just going to play around with it. So I would very much prefer to give whatever evidence I have to an international body because they’ve betrayed our trust. I was attacked and when I was attacked I was being protected by a group of police men – they ran away immediately and they left me there to my fate – so the hard evidence I have about the mobilization of these people I will not give to the police because they’ve betrayed my trust.”
Earlier on the biometric registration process Maada Bio said “I think we started very slowly but it’s going on very well now, the timing is very good I don’t think I did more than five minutes there that is a very good timing.” Challenged that this was because he had been given special priviledge, Bio said “Of course but I think they have mastered the process of making the input and we are happy about the biometric because it’s going to eliminate quite a lot of the grey areas that we had in registration that is why we are happy about it.”
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