State House, Freetown, Thursday 13 April 2023 – His Excellency President Dr Julius Maada Bio has received the 15-member Special Investigations Committee report on the August 8 – 10, 2022 insurrection that took place in the east end of Freetown and in some parts of the country.
According to the executive summary, “The insurrection was well-planned, financed, organised, timed, and geared towards destroying public property and undermining the peace and stability of the state by removing the legitimate and democratically elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Brigadier Retired Dr. Julius Maada Bio, from political power”.
It further confirmed “the use of dangerous weapons, including machetes, guns, and sticks against security personnel, to the point of murdering six of them in cold blood, injuring another who later died, and about twenty-one civilians losing their lives…”
Chairman of the committee, Dr. Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai Esq, said “His Excellency, in all the hotspots, stakeholders shared names of politicians loyal to the opposition who were providing guardianship and support to the protesters. The Lungi Fuel Stations, Kaffu Bullom Chief Sisters, the APC office, the Makeni councillor, the Magburaka-Kamakwie area. Videos and transcripts are available to this effect. There is also an indicator that the protest was politically motivated and they were well planned, organised, and executed in a coordinated manner”.
He also noted that the international community, particularly the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association and Assembly, was sending conflicting messages that inflamed and aggravated the situation, adding that protesters used their tweets to claim that the international community was in support of the action to remove the sitting government.
“Several tweets and audio files from the protesters support these claims. This gives the impression that the international community supports the protesters’ actions, despite the fact that the state was almost under siege. This goes against the international jurisprudence, which provides that the survival of the state takes precedence over rights during emergencies.”
“The government and its international partners should not be seen publicly disagreeing in a crisis situation of the magnitude of August 8–10,” he warned.
After receiving the report, President Bio said, “Today, I receive this report with great sadness as once again our nation was aghast with the brutal murder of ASP Matthew Moiwah Gbanya, the Operational Support Division Regional Coordinator in the northeast regional headquarter town of Makeni. This is barely eight months since six police officers were violently killed in the August insurrection”.
“We cannot live in a society where police officers, who have the responsibility to protect lives and property, become the objects of targeted killings. This is unacceptable, and my government will spare no effort to ensure those responsible for the death of ASP Matthew Moiwah Gbanya are held accountable. On behalf of the government and our grieving nation, let me use this opportunity to express our sincere condolences to his family and the entire Sierra Leone Police. May God Almighty grant him merciful judgment,” he expressed.
The President added that following the bloody and violent insurrection of August 10 last year, he assured the nation that a full-scale investigation would be instituted to examine both the immediate and underlying causes, sources of financing, execution, and consequences of the insurrection, as well as the response of security forces.
“Let me state that my government remains committed to upholding universal principles of human rights and adhering to national and international human rights standards. In just five years, the Human Rights Commission has received its certificate of reaccreditation as a ‘Grade A’ national human rights institution from the United Nations. My government has enacted more progressive legislations than any other government, such as the Gender Equality and Empowerment Act, the repeal of the criminal libel law and the abolition of the death penalty.
“As we approach the June 24 multitier elections, let me encourage all Sierra Leoneans to be law-abiding and remain peaceful. To those who engage in hate speeches, incitement to violence, and incendiary rhetoric, you have no place in our elections. Wherever you are, the long arm of the law will catch up with you. To leaders of political parties, please remember that no political ambition is worth the blood of any citizen.
“Once again, let me conclude by thanking all of you members of the Special Investigations Committee for your professionalism and commitment to completing this herculean task,” the President said.
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