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Major Sierra Leonean broadcaster AYV Media has quietly removed a controversial video clip showing President Julius Maada Bio stating that opposition supporters in Bonthe District “shall die early in the morning.”
The media company has not provided any official explanation for the sudden deletion of the footage.
The video, originally posted as a reel on AYV’s Facebook page, captured the president speaking in the Mende language during the recent launch of a Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) district office in Mattru Jong. In the clip, Bio was recorded making the stark warning to constituents backing the rival All People’s Congress (APC).
The broadcast footage quickly went viral and became the focal point of a major political controversy. It served as the primary reference for opposition figures and critics, including prominent politician Dr. Sylvia Olayinka Blyden, who condemned the president’s rhetoric as a violent threat and a violation of his constitutional duty to serve as the nation’s “Symbol of National Unity.”
However, users attempting to access the widely shared Facebook link are now met with an error message indicating that the content has been taken down or is no longer available.
AYV Media has yet to issue a formal statement clarifying whether the deletion was due to internal editorial policies, external political pressure, or platform-related issues.
The removal of the video comes as the government continues to manage the fallout from the president’s speech. The State House previously defended the remarks, with the Communications Director stating that the phrase was not a literal threat, but rather a traditional Mende metaphor implying that APC supporters in Bonthe are “somehow cursed.”
Watch the video below:
