October 25, 2023
By Kabs Kanu
The CONCERNED SIERRA LEONEANS WORLDWIDE traveled all the way to New York yesterday to present a petition / complaint to the U.N Secretary General at the UN Headquarters in New York , against the human rights abuses and extrajudicial and politically – motivated crimes committed against the people of Sierra Leone by President Maada Bio, since he came to power in 2018.
They provided graphic evidence of the killings and maiming of innocent Sierra Leoneans and called for punitive action against the embattled junta leader. Maada Bio.
DR. FULLAH MAKING HIS PRESENTATION TO THE UN. ACCORDING TO UN PROTOCOL, WE WERE FORBIDDEN FROM TAKING PHOTOS. THIS WAS TAKEN BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND NO UN OFFICIAL IS SHOWN .
The Concerned Sierra Leoneans were led to the UN by their Chairman, Human Rights Lawyer, Dr. Alfred Vinod Fullah , who was the man who also presented the same complaint to the International Criminal Court ( ICC ) in the Hague few months ago.
Dr. Fullah and team initiated the engagements with the UN and the U.S State Department , and both events were facilitated and made possible by Ambassador Wilfred Leeroy Kabs-Kanu, former Minister Plenipotentiary to the UN . Also in the delegation were firebrand human rights advocate, Imran Turay , famous journalist and Editor of the ORGANIZER newspaper in the UK, Abu Shaw, activist Ishmael Hedd , Fatmata Turay, Salamatu Turay, among others.
The reception given the delegation by the UN was very good, empowering and a vindication of the fact that the UN was very interested in the case and the situation in Sierra Leone.
The session was held in closed doors and the complaints were read by Dr. Fullah, the Chairman of the Concerned Sierra Leoneans Worldwide, while the team assigned by the Secretary General to receive the petition keenly listened in over one breathtaking hour of presentation of the 16-page petition , after which the Concerned Sierra Leoneans got a commitment that their complaints will be looked into by the UN Secretary General and principals .
DR. FULLAH AND AMBASSADOR KABS-KANU AT THE DELEGATES ENTRANCE OF THE UN
In the petition, Dr. Fullah told the UN Secretary General : “Sir, we want to emphatically state that since President Julius Maada Bio assumed office on 4th April 2018, he has engaged in a series of systematic, widespread and wanton destruction of our fragile democratic fabric and national cohesion by dividing Sierra Leone along party, regional and tribal lines. Since President Maada Bio assumed office, he had sacked majority employees who mainly hailed from the north and north-west regions of Sierra Leone.”
“As true believers in the Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights, we felt vehemently obliged to formally petition grave offences and particularly draw your esteemed attention to the 10th August 2022 peaceful demonstrations by Sierra Leoneans who continue to endure tremendous pain and sufferings under the leadership of President Julius Maada Bio since he assumed office on 4th April 2018, for which he has not accounted to anyone to date. The demonstrations led to a disproportionate use of force by armed government security officers , which led to the painful loss of lives of scores of our precious citizens.The nation of Sierra Leone is reeling with pain and outrage from these killings, which also occurred in other towns, like Tombo Village, Mile 91, Lunsar, Tonko Limba and Makeni on diverse occasions during peaceful demonstrations.”
“We the Concerned Sierra Leoneans Worldwide are submitting this petition paper and/or complaint to Secretary-General of the United Nations against President Julius Maada Bio, the current President of Sierra Leone, his wife and his government/state
actors regarding these and other systematic, targeted, widespread and gross human rights violations committed against the people of Sierra Leone, which we believe constitute crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.” We will bring you the full petition later.
AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE : FROM LEFT -MESSRS EGERTON DAVIES, DR. FULLAH AND AMB. KABS-KANU
A member of the delegation, Mr. Imran Turay, stated that “We are very concerned that the opposition APC party has lost its focus on defending the rights of citizens but instead colluding with the illegitimate SLPP regime to undermine the interests of the voters.” He said he had been prevented from visiting his country and seeing his aged mother before she leaves this world. He broke down and wept during his contribution and the scene moved the UN team.
Journalist Abu Shaw admonished the UN to take action to stop President Bio, who is also misleading gullible citizens that Sierra Leone’s election to a Non-Permanent Seat in the UN Security Council for 2024-26 was an indication that the UN supports him against his countrymen and women, who are weeping and gnashing their teeth under his rule.
SOME MEMBERS OF THE TEAM IN THE U.N BUILDING
Former Minister Plenipotentiary Kabs Kanu reminded the Secretary General’s team that when he worked there, the UN set up the EARLY WARNING SIGNS system to gauge if a country was heading to war. He said the early warning signs manifest in Sierra Leone presently portend a return to another war for the post-conflict country and urged the UN Secretary General and all concerned to act swiftly to nip the situation in the bud. “President Bio must be stopped, ” he warned.
The Concerned Sierra Leoneans delegation to the UN consisted of the following personalities: Dr Alfred Venod Fullah, Madam Salamatu Kamara, Mr Ahmed Imran Turay (Imran T), Mr Abu Shaw–all based in the United Kingdom ; Ambassador Leeroy Wilfred Kanu aka Kabs Kanu; Mr Yusufu Conteh, Madam Esther Sesay, Marliyatu Jalloh, Mr Ishmael Albert Hedd and and Mr Egerton Davies , who live in the U.S. Many of them are members of the People’s Power in Politics ( PPP ) , led by the world-renowned radical social media anti-government campaigner, Adebayo, who raised funds to make the ICC and UN trips possible for his members.
