In a troubling turn of events, Staff Sergeant Thorlu Bangura, former head of the Police Security Guard for ex-President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, has been implicated in an alleged coup plot, leading to significant repercussions for his family. Following his retirement, Bangura was in makeni northern Sierra Leone, alongside Dr. Koroma and other security personnel.
On the night of November 26, 2023, Thorlu Bangura went into hiding, prompting police action against those connected to him. This included a raid on the home of Mrs. Isatu Davies, whose husband, Mr. Davies, serves as the constituency chairman for the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party. The APC has been accused of orchestrating the coup attempt, further intensifying the political climate.
On December 6, 2023, police forces descended on Mrs. Davies’s residence, arresting her along with family members present at the time. Reports indicate that the raid was motivated by her ties to the opposition party, resulting in the confiscation of numerous personal belongings.
Eyewitness accounts from neighbors reveal that Mrs. Davies was arrested in a humiliating state half-naked after emerging from a bath. She was subsequently taken to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Freetown, where she endured seven harrowing days in solitary confinement. Sources suggest that during her imprisonment, both she and her family faced severe mistreatment and torture.
After a week of confinement in deplorable conditions, Mrs. Davies was released, but the trauma of her experience lingers. Her arrest underscores the volatile intersection of politics and security in Sierra Leone, particularly regarding the treatment of opposition members and their families. The incident raises critical questions about the use of state power in suppressing dissent and the broader implications for democracy in the country.