Despite the deliberate silence of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) in making their position public or known on the recent deadly attack of one of their members Lansana Dumbuya Esq, there are calls raining in from everywhere for justice to be done for all victims of political intimidation and tyranny.
Lawyer Dumbuya is the National Secretary General of the opposition All People’s Congress (APC) who was attacked together with others at the Presidential Lodge Checkpoint at Regent Road, Hill Station, and “beaten mercilessly” by armed security guards on alleged orders of President Bio.
In reaction that odd happening, voices have continue to emerge from across the country and beyond calling on Government and development partners including moral guarantors of the democratic process to ensure that the justice is fairly delivered in the matter relating to the attack on the APC scribe and his people by presidential security guards.
Lawyer Dumbuya, shortly after the attack against him and his supporters, called on senior members of the Government of Sierra Leone including his colleague, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, and informed him about the physical attack on him and other members in his entourage. The APC National Secretary General said that he also informed the Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police, all of whom promised to call and talk to the president but failed to do so.
The issue continues to attract serious concerns from the international community on grounds that it has tendencies of affecting the full participation of opposition parties, though government keep trivializing the matter, describing reports and concerns raised by the victims as “lies” and “half-truths”, as stated by the Minister of Information and Communications, Mohamed Rahman Swaray.
Some government officials such as the info minister have chosen to describe the explanation of the ordeal of their colleague politician “half-truth” simply because Lawyer Lansana Dumbuya was seen complaining alone and also because of fear and partisanship his professional organisation the SLBA has left him in the cold, completely disgracefully abandoning and ignoring his trauma.
The Sierra Leone Bar Association under normal circumstances should have stood up as credible professional body to inquire what went wrong that their colleague and member was attacked and come out with a position statement on the matter. Shamefully, this is yet to happen under the sun, as Sierra Leone rapidly gets into the woods.
The Bar body has so far failed to take action because the association’s leadership is in close ties with State House Presidential Press Secretary, who is said to be influencing decision from behind the scenes. Yet one expects Madam President of SLBA and her entire executive to have done the needful and avoid blame sharing for apparently conspiring against one of their colleagues.
Taking such a noble action by a professional organization as SLBA is yet to be seen to happen since the incident took place last Wednesday 22nd 2023 and as we piece this Talking Point together.
Considering the high level of trivialities the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and Government have attached to the whole violent attack against lawyer Lansana Dumbuya Esq and others of the APC, the people of Sierra Leone would be wondering what really is bedevilling the ruling class of their beloved nation.
As mentioned in a short comment by a senior journalist and a right-wing publisher, political leaders must accept blames for their mistakes, accept the challenge and be ready to address the problems with their followers, members and supporters.
This editorial is not in any way targeting religious supporters, followers and members of any political groups but is merely encouraging politicians to be honest enough in condemning the unlawful acts of their followers, as recently suggested by that writer.
Hence, for a whole government minister to just dash into one of the studios of the highly respected Africa Young Voices Media Empire TV and started discrediting claims made by a learned lawyer Lansana Dumbuya, the National Secretary General of the APC, is completely unacceptable. The victimised lawyer has no reason to tell lies that he was beaten by presidential guards. Why then the APC scribe didn’t accuse other security personnel he came across during his return from his party’s National Delegates’ Conference in Makeni.
The Minister of Information and Communications, as a Government Spokesman, went on air as the Squealer of the failed SLPP administration to cover up and try to turn things around specifically with narratives about the violent attack on lawyer Lansana Dumbuya and his party members and supporters. So the action and information put out by the info minister is just a fig leaf to the dastardly act of brutalising the APC scribe.
But sadly, though it didn’t work as expected and he should be respectful in addressing the public and the world when speaking on such issues. The Government is too big to be always telling lies. And better chance next time.
The APC National Secretary Lawyer Dumbuya sharing his ordeals in the hands President Bio’s guards with the public via AYVTV news, explained: “We complied with the instructions of the presidential guards. They stopped our vehicles, confiscated one of the vehicles with some people and drove it into the Presidential Lodge compound at Hill Station. During their searches of our vehicles, they told us to sit on the floor, and we sat on the floor, then they sprayed pepper spray in my eyes. And when they realized that we had filmed the searches of the vehicles they were conducting, they started beating me and others further with iron rods with severe molestation and told us that they were sent by President Bio. They took the phone from the man who did the video and continue to beat us, tore my clothes and I have serious side pains. We need an urgent medical attention. I want the International Community to take it very seriously and know that these people are not serious about governance. All they are bent on doing is intimidation of the opposition.”
The APC National Secretary General though badly victimised by guards of President Bio on orders of the presidency said: “I want the International Community to know that we are not going to be coward; the party is not going to be intimidated. We will stand our grounds and make sure that we are not pushed to the wall.”
He called for the immediate and unconditional release of members and supporters of his party who were forcefully taken into the presidential lodge compound on the night of the attack on them. Lansana Dumbuya said that they were arrested and beaten mercilessly only because they are APC; because they wore red and had red banners in front of their vehicles. “When I asked them to take me to the president to know whom they were beating, they said that they got orders from President Bio to beat me and they were going to comply with it,” lawyer Dumbuya narrated further.
He implored the international community to be serious about the concerns raised by him and the APC regarding violent and intimidation of opposition supporters and members, saying: “We are not going to tolerate it anymore.”
In the face of all these realities and clear explanations, the Information and Communications Minister chose to down play the concerns raised by the opposition scribe. It is noted that the June polls is about alternative policies and if any of the political parties has such then they must be ready for the debate as they the party are well prepared.
Meanwhile, as part of popular call on authorities to put an end to the culture of impunity, especially among security sector operatives, a law firm, JFK and Partners, on the instructions of its clients Lansana Dumbuya and Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, has addressed a letter to the Chief of Defence Staff of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and informed him about the alleged conduct of RSLAF security personnel against civilians. Both clients were reportedly molested by security guards at the notorious Presidential Lodge Checkpoint at Hill Station, the law firm presented its complaints and case.
FORUM looks forward to seeing, hearing, or witnessing a fair play in the investigation, wishing that the law takes it right course.
