FREETOWN – On Sunday, June 25th, 2023, an incident involving armed military men and Operational Support Division (OSD) personnel occurred during an All People’s Congress (APC) party press conference in Brookfields.
Ibrahim Alusine Kamara, Managing Editor of Salone Compass Newspaper, attended the event with other journalists. As the conference proceeded, men in military fatigue, believed to be presidential bodyguards, emerged and began firing tear gas canisters and live bullets, causing panic and chaos. APC party supporters were celebrating outside the party office building during this time.
Kamara and several other journalists took refuge in a nearby private residence until the situation calmed down. Upon attempting to leave, Kamara found his car severely damaged, allegedly by the armed military personnel and OSD officers. Despite receiving permission from a security officer to move his car, Kamara was subsequently stopped, threatened, and assaulted by two military officers and one OSD personnel.
The Deputy Leader of APC, Hon. Chernor Maju Bah, intervened, potentially saving Kamara from further harm. The Managing Editor is currently recovering from the ordeal, which has left him in severe pain and his family and friends deeply affected.
As a result of this incident, Kamara has informed the Inspector General of the Sierra Leone Police about the events and the consequences. The case has also been brought to the attention of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ), Chief of Defence Staff, National Coordinator of the Office of National Security, All Peoples Congress (APC), and the Media Reform Coordinating Group.
