The Sierra Leone Police Bo West Division is currently investigating an incident involving one Alhaji Sondai, who is suspected to have torn a picture of the All Peoples Congress (APC) flag bearer and President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma. The incident was said to have occurred at around 5 to 6PM on Thursday, when the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) had their second rally on the second day of their NEC assigned campaign day in Bo District.
The SLPP on that day had their second NEC campaign day, with supporters gathering at specific places in the different constituencies in the city.
At one of the points which was at the Fenton Road-Bojohn Street junction, Alhaji Sondai, is suspected to have been part of a group that attempted to destroy the pictures of the President.
Officer-in-Charge Criminal Investigations Department, Daniel Conteh, explained to Awoko that the boy was arrested by another police officer on the scene but that the officer handed Alhaji to one Police Constable Kebbay, who then brought the boy to the police. He went on to state that “this is not the first time this is happening but this is the first time we are arresting someone.”
Alie Katisco Sesay, the APC Youth Deputy Leader later came and claimed that one SLP Sergeant Gendah was the one to “have first made arrest of an SLPP supporter tearing the bill boards of the president but he later released him to go free.
This allegation, he said, caused a sudden rush of APC supporters to the scene but he managed to calm them down. “But this is not the first time, they are doing it.” He explained that “almost all the pictures of the president in the centre of town have been destroyed.”
He went on to explain that “even all the portraits of the APC Member of Parliament candidate, Fasalie Tarawally in Kissy Town have been taken off.” He said that the “tearing of our candidates’ portraits started ever since the declaration of campaigns.” Meanwhile, the SLPP Bo District Chairman Joseph Maada Kpulun related to Awoko that “the accusation is an allegation, false and unfounded.” The police, he stated, “claimed to have seen the boy tearing the portrait of the President which was not true. The boy he explained was not even resident in Bo and that he was from Panguma. “This is just a subterfuge, so the APC can hide away from the reality.” The APC, he complained, “first started the tearing of the portrait of our flagbearer.” He said that his party has lodged complaints to police and the PPRC on the issue of the “destruction of the portrait of our presidential aspirant at Moyamba Junction and they are yet to act on our complaints.”
On the intervention of the PPRC and UNIPSIL, Alhaji Sondai has however been released on bail but Police investigations continue.
By Jenkins Bawoh
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