Reports reaching this medium state that one (Alusine Bangura) mother who is a consitiuenancy Chair lady of the All People’s Congress (APC) at Calaba town , East part of Freetown has been declared ‘Wanted Person’ by the Sierra Leone Police in connection with the 2023 bar election campaign riot that took place in the country, and resulted in the death of1 supporter of the Ruling SLPP Party.
According to investigation mounted by this medium in respect of the said matter, it was revealed by family sources that Alusine Bangura was not around his house on 25th March 2023, when the clash broke out between the opposition Party APC and the Ruling party supporters SLPP when Alusine Bangura was called by a friend that her Mum is under serious attack by the Rulling party supporters (SLPP) he rush to the scene to see what was happening he saw her mum laying on the floor hopelessly and rush to stop one of the supporters who was about to hit his mum with stick eventual Alusine Push the guy and the guy slep down and everybody was shouting that Alusine Bangura have killed the guy because the guy was unable to wake up.
Due to that Alusine was afraid and immediately? left the scene and go on hiding after the said riot, news of pending police raid in the area to filtered the community, in which supporters of the ruling party, have told the security forces that he was among the rioters, and they will come looking for him. Family sources continued that Alusine Bangura was not in the house (in the night), when some armed security personnel, in the company of armed youths (armed with machetes, sticks, guns and knives), alighted from a government security jeep that had no registration number (averting identification), and menacingly forced their way into the house, breaking the front door.
Family members explained to this writer that they were all forced to sit on the floor, whilst the officers and the youths searched the house for Alusine Bangura, but to no avail. They furthered that Alusine had escaped through the back door, when they heard the unregistered vehicle screech to a sudden halt outside their house. They furthered that they were beaten and threatened with death if they fail to produce Alusine Bangura. But after turning the entire house upside down, and not finding him, they informed them that they will return and will not relent until they find him.
A friend of Alusine, who spoke to this medium on basis of anonymity, said that when Alusine escaped from his house on the 25th March 2023, he was sheltered by his mum friend for over 3 months but that he left his house on 10th May 2023, as there were indications that the security forces had embarked on a house to house search for him and other youths, known to be supporters of the main opposition party in the community.
He explained that what had been the norm immediately after the riot was that the security forces, in the company of ruling party youths and thugs, were raiding homes of known opposition supporters arresting them, and in some cases taking them to unknown places. Some of these have not returned, and are feared of dead. He added that since Alusine Bangura left his house on the 25th March 2023, his whereabouts are unknown. Family members also say that since Alusine Bangura left the house, he has not returned as police have arrested his mother and sent her to jail till Alusine is produce and Alusine have not shown up nor do they have any idea of his whereabouts. They fear for his life, especially as there are news of people being summarily executed by the security forces.
Our investigation further revealed that a lot of opposition supporters and members were targeted, some killed and dumped in unregistered government jeeps and taken away to unknown locations. In the case of Alusine Bangura, Times SL Investigation uncovered that he was a member of the opposition party because of his membership status of and his role played.
On one such occasion, one popular blogger and opposition party supporter in the Northern city of Makeni, commonly called Evangelist Samson, was shot in broad day light in front of shop in that city by combined security forces and thugs, and his body collected and taken away. As news of his death went viral, with video footages, the security forces had no alternative than to take his body to the mortuary in Makeni and latter to Freetown. Officials of the main opposition made open appeals to the international committee to intervene to stop the extra-judicial killings and arbitrary arrests of their members and supporters.
As the media pressed the police to comment on the arrests and disappearances of those youths, the media officer of the police explained that a list of wanted persons had been put up, but that there were also others that they are looking for, and will not relent until they are arrested and brought to book.