The people of Gorama Mende Chiefdom, in Kenema District, Eastern Sierra Leone, are patiently waiting for the outcome of government’s investigations into Saturday 8th February 2025 religious and cultural clash in the chiefdom headquarter town, Tongie.
It all started with partisans’ concerns over the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) lower level election malpractices which resulted to confrontations amongst contending rivals for the party’s sectional chairmanship, which turned to be nasty fight between members of the wonde and those of the Muslim community.
The election dispute is far different from the trouble between the Muslims and the wonde members. And one would imagine how come the suspension of the Paramount Chief (PC) was drawn into the SLPP lower level election row, and the unconstitutional suspension of the PC, on orders of President Julius Maada Bio to restore peace in the chiefdom, as if there were no other redress measures from the central government.
Government’s highhandedness in the suspension of the female PC has been received with wide condemnations across the country and beyond borders. The move has also been largely described as a ploy to dent the Bio administration’s efforts in the promotion and empowerment of women, a reason why there are high expectations for the urgent release of a fair, credible, neutral and transparent report from the findings into Saturday 8 February, 2025 atrocities in Tongie, and the reinstatement of the deposed PC from her indefinite suspension by the central government.
The suspension, according to Minister Lamina, is until the PC is fully investigated, which is too much for an embattled woman leader.
Thus, the details of the investigation must be heard or read from the government through the Minister of Local Government and Community Affairs, Tamba Lamina, the man charged with the task of direct mediation with local governance structures and traditional leaderships nationwide.
“Today President Bio has instructed me as per constitutional provision to suspend the Paramount Chief of Gorama Mende Chiefdom. Thus, from now onwards, the PC of Gorama Mende Chiefdom has been suspended. Our reason for her suspension is to restore peace in the chiefdom because, as far as our assessment is concerned, she is obstructing the peace in the chiefdom” disclosed Lamina.
He furthered that government would continue to investigate the suspended PC before returning to the chiefdom for the final word.
He announced installation of the caretaker chief, Wahid Kallon, pointing out Kallon was appointed by government to help stabilize the chiefdom, a community that is not at war, though Lamina and Bio are talking about the restoration of stability. But the brief confusion was ignited by SLPP members and supporters under their watch.
Apart from administering the affairs of local governance, Lamina is on record for seizing staffs from Paramount Chiefs and sending them on open-ended suspensions with orders from President Julius Maada Bio, PC Madam Haja Mariam Gassama Kanja of Gorama Memde Chiefdom being Lamina’s recent victim, coupled with scores of political intimidation inflicting on traditional leaders with suspicions of anti-unorthodox views and sentiments against the Bio-led SLPP administration’s meddling with local governance affairs.
The government is humbly entreated as it is the appropriate authority to fast track the probe into the Saturday 8 February 2025 clash in Tungie-Gorama, to make sure all trouble makers are brought to book, prosecuted and face the full force of the law.
The culture of impunity should be end the culture of impunity not only in Gorame Mende chiefdom alone but the country as a whole. Other key reasons for the probe is to fully endorse the accountability process and to clearly explainthe level of destruction caused by Saturday 8 February 2025 clash that damaged property worth millions of Leones, leaving dozens with severe injuries.
So far, dozens of Muslims leaders, including chief Imams, and other traditional leaders have been arrested and detained at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department in Freetown, and others are still in hiding.
The issue now under the watch of government, one expects fair play especially in the investigations, considering equality before the law. What is applicable to Paul before the laws of the land should and must be as well applied to Peter. There should be no exemptions because the law is supreme and nobody is above the law.
It is well over two weeks since the trouble erupted in Tungie, followed by arrests of suspects; but answers are yet to come from the government regarding investigations into the matter. There is nothing like updates on the investigation from the minister charged with the task of suspending chiefs.
However, the culture of justice delayed has kept many in suspense, a reason those concerned are eagerly waiting for the outcome of the probe to know who caused the trouble in that chiefdom.
Government must rise to the occasion and do the needful by producing the report in record time to halt rumours, lies and fake news, not to mention the indefinite suspension of the PC.
By way of mitigating the growing trouble, government representatives in the chiefdom should as well be able to manage and control the level of social media influence.
The public does not fully know who the exact trouble makers are. Would they be the Muslims or members of the wonde society? Only God/Allah knows now until the outcome of the full investigation is out.
Besides, there are so many people in detention, may be for crimes they didn’t commit, the more reasons the investigation should be fast tracked in the best interest of fairness, peace, unity, and for the reinstatement of the deposed paramount chief.
With growing edginess by the tick of the clock, there is also an urgent need for government to fast track the investigation and present the community with the outcome of the probe. Such will dispel speculations and blame shifting regarding who is responsible or who failed to do what.
Government should therefore waste no time in investigating to the matter by equally attaching a sense of urgency to the reinstatement of the Paramount Chief. So, no matter how bumpy the road to the crux of the matter, all means humanely possible should be explored, leaving no stone unturned in examining the challenging political and cultural matter in the community. And whoever is found wanting of any wrong doing, irrespective of the socio-economic status of the individual(s) in the community, should be brought to book to face the full penalty of the law to end the culture of impunity, rather than staging a premature peace march now ahead of the outcome of the probe into the problem.
To the community, as the mind being the real standards of a man, the people of Gorama Mende should grow rapidly to square up with modernity, development, putting their individual political, religious and socio-cultural indifferences behind and work towards constructive community development. Down a path of that nature they can as well hold their leaders, past and present, and in future be accountable for their respective leadership failures in serving the people and in addressing the real issues on floor, and embrace peace. And simultaneously commend those who are and have done parts in building the chiefdom in diverse ways.
FORUM NEWS stands by you in your patience, as all look forward to receiving the news of the release of the outcome of the investigation into Saturday 8 February 2025 stand-off in Tungiu and that of the deposed PC.
