Siera Leone Telegraph: 26 December 2023:
In the last hour, there are reports of trucks load of military and OSD personnel raiding the residence of Sheik Alhaji Mohamed “Omodu” Kamara, alias Jagaban in Freetown.
This marks a major escalation of government’s atrition against the country’s main opposition APC party by president Bio’s ruling SLPP.
According to unofficial reports, the raid took place in the early hours of this morning. It is not clear what prompted the police and military raid but it may not be unconnected to the government’s campaign of arresting opposition APC supporters and leaders it says were involved in an alleged attempted coup on 26th November 2023.
Jagaban is a successful entrepreneur of immense wealth, and is well known for financially supporting the opposition APC party as well as providing food for poor communities across the country.
Since 26th November, over 80 people have so far been arrested and detained without charge, as police and military continue their house-to-house search for alleged suspects and weapons.
But critics say that this is fast becoming a theatre of political retribution and witch-hunt that could threaten Sierra Leone’s hard-earned post-war peace and stability.
This is one report published on social media this morning:
LIES CHANGE WITH TIME. As time goes by, the bogus talk of Bio’s so-called “coup” is beginning to manifest. The preposterous search of Money Jagaban’s residence at Malta Street for “weapons” has finally lifted the lid on Bio’s penchant for lying. Bio would not cease to amaze people.
Jagaban represents the untainted face of Sierra Leone’s political class. His proven record of humility and humanity endeared him to the nation within weeks of stepping into the political landscape. His unassuming demeanour and financial pedigree got Maada Bio rattled during the campaign hustings of the last elections of June 2023. Bio, in his usual crude style, denigrated Jagaban as a”foolish man.” Little wonders Bio has come to see him as an existential threat.”
Bio’s ploy to decimate the APC big guns through spurious claims of a coup attempt tells a lot of Bio’s paranoia.
Fearful of being discarded, Bio is desperate to hang on to power for fear of certain prosecution for his litany of human rights abuses and naked violence. He is becoming delusional with every passing day. With the damning report of the CARTER CENTRE on the last elections, the pressure continues to mount. The report might well become the coup de grace on Bio’s illegitimate presidency.
His use of violence to constrict the political space was also highlighted in the report. His spouse’s vitriolic speech in Kailahum was also mentioned as one of the reasons that supporters could not come out to vote for the opposition APC party. With this report and the dire economic situation in the country, Bio is in a bind. With limited resources to fund a bloated wage bill, Bio is in deep trouble.
By harassing and intimidating the opposition, he figured that he could buy time and ease the pressure for a while. The unwarranted search of Jagaban’s residence sums up Bio’s paranoia and declining mental faculty. He has become a cornered prey who will fight to death to stay alive.
Poor Bio has become a pathetic wreck. His edginess of late has become visible. How long will he continue to hang in there for dear life? Only the passage of time will tell. But his room for manoeuvre is getting tighter by the day. He would not have reached this point if he had let people be.