By Joseph Kamanda
The Sierra Leone Police have announced more names of prison escapees, earlier suspected to be planners and implementers of the August 10, 2022 protest that turned into violence in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
At a government press briefing held yesterday, the Police said they are still in search of one Foday Turay, Joseph Mansaray and Samuel Sesay all of Freetown and other young people suspected of being the leaders of the People’s Power in Politics (PPP) Group that planned and implemented the protest in Freetown.
The police said they have evidence that led to them being seen as suspect, adding that several eyewitnesses have also named them as some of the ring leaders of the team that led the protest from the east end of the city.
Police said after the protest was dispatched, many people including Foday, Joseph and Samuel were arrested and detained at the male correctional center, where they escape during the prison break attack on November 26, 2023.
Reports reaching this writer have it that police have on many occasions raided Foday’s former residence and forced residents therein to sit on the floor, whilst the officers and some youth, loyal to the government in governance, searched the house for Suwaib.
The police has announced a NLe50,000 (50 million old Leones) reward for anyone who can help the police in knowing the whereabouts and arrest of these wanted people.
This writer was reliably informed that Foday Turay was a strong supporter of the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) Party and might have been involved in the protest, as he has always been an activist.
So, many community residents who spoke to this writer supported the police’s allegation that Foday must have been one of the planners and implementers of the protests.
To date, Police said they have arrested and detained over seventy escapees, allegedly involved in the protests, who are helping police investigations, while the first set of eighty-three protesters have been tried in court, found guilty and are now serving jail terms at the maximum prison.
It was believed that most of these suspects are being accused falsely and that their arrests are politically motivated.
A legal expert, whose identity is withheld, alleged that some of the protesters were convicted without a trial and following due process, some of which were falsely accused.
This medium is also currently investigating the allegation of secret killings of some of the protesters arrested secretly during night raids on their residences.