According to leaked information from our government source, one Emmanuel Glory Kargbo of 28 Beach Road Lumley, Western Area, Freetown, Sierra Leone has been named as part of the unpublished list of people whom the police is looking for in respect of subversive actions against the State. He is said to be an activist and member of the notorious PPP group of Sierra Leoneans agitating for the removal of the Bio government, which they had branded as undemocratic and has been violating the fundamental human rights of citizens and bastardizing the country’s constitution. The government describes them as dissidents and has embarked on widespread arrest of alleged known sympathizers.
According to the police sources, Emmanuel G. Kargbo and others have been calling on people to protest under the guise of high cost of living, but had ulterior motives. They maintained that prior to the June 24 Elections, these people were active in mobilizing support for the protest and immediately after the elections, they called on members of the main opposition party, the APC, to protest against the yet to be announced results, which resulted in the death of one-party supporter in the vicinity of the party’s office, in an open confrontation with the security forces.
However, this medium visited the residence of Emmanuel G. Kargbo and some others who has been declared wanted by the police to get their take on the said declaration. Family members and residents in the area explained that Emmanuel G. Kargbo was a known activist, preaching against the ills of the government, including violations of the rights of people and the exponential increase in the cost of living. They also disclosed that the accusation by the police was unfounded, as any criticism of the economic situation and the ills of the government was seen as subversion by the police and ruling party operatives. They maintained that apart from preaching against the failure of the government, Emmanuel G. Kargbo was also a Gay Activist, which landed him in trouble with community elders and youths, as Gay is seen as demonic and satanic and should not be encouraged in society. This type of sexual orientation was denounced by both religious faiths in the country, including traditional leaders.
They furthered that the events leading to the killing at the opposition party’s office, plus his Gay activism and his affiliation with the main opposition party was seen by ruling party youths and operatives as an opportunity to get rid of him. Therefore, with the said riot at the party’s office, ruling party youths, in the company of the security forces, stormed residence of several people, where they arrested a good number of people identified by ruling party youths as instigators of the riot. Unfortunately, Emmanuel G. Kargbo managed to escape from the police and ruling party group of thugs but eventually lost his elder sister during the raid. Neighbors maintained that since he left, he has not returned, and the police have raided several times in search of Emmanuel.
Currently, they advanced that the government is clamping down on people believe to be sympathizers of the main opposition party that are in the security forces or known northerners, on allegation of an attempted coup, without providing any evidence to support that claim. Several serving and non-serving security officers have been arrested and in police custody. In this respect, many residents say that known supporters of the main opposition party have gone into hiding and their whereabouts unknown. Meanwhile, as we go to press the whereabouts of Emmanuel Glory Kargbo are still unknown.