Reports reaching this press from Sanya, Tambaka Chiefdom, Karene District, Northern Provinces, revealed that there were attacks on Yanah, allegedly by the security forces (both police and military personnels) after escorting the newly elected Paramount Chief to his home town of Sanya, which resulted in a bloodbath, with a 25-year-old man, Fasineh Bangura, being allegedly killed, many others injured and properties worth millions of Leones destroyed in Yanah town.

It could be recalled that there was a Paramount Chief election in Tambakha, sometime in June 2021, which attracted six candidates from three towns: Yanah, Sanya and Fintonya. Elections were held amid allegations of voter fraud and irregularities, allegedly by NEC officials. This led to tension on the ground, leading to police intervention.

Supporters of the other candidates accused the Sierra Leone Police of heavy handedness, brutality and manipulation in favour of one candidate, Abu Bakarr Kamara, from Sanya, who doubled as a police officer at the time of the elections.

Abu Bakarr Kamara’s candidacy was challenged by the other candidates, who accused him of not hailing from a legitimate Ruling House in Tambakha, as custom, tradition and the Local Government Act dictates, which is that for one to be eligible to run as PC candidate, he should come from a ruling house, but that was allegedly over ruled by Prince Sorieba, Provincial Secretary, Karene District, without putting it to vote by the Tribal Authorities (TA’s) or the electors, as stated in the Local Government Act.

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Sorieba only promised to look into the allegations later, our sources say.
However, the matter was never resolved until the day of the elections, when Abu Bakarr Kamara’s names appeared on the Sierra Leone Electoral Commission Ballot papers; it took all the other candidates and some Tribal Authorities (TA’s) by surprise. Abu Bakarr Kamara, according to sources, controversially won the election in a runoff, after many of the electors were scared away by alleged teargas, gun shots of live rounds, marking the end of the first round. Many voters fled to the nearby villages during the tension, as they could not withstand the heavy police presence and many teargas fired. This subsequently prevented most of them from voting in the second ballot of the runoff.

The losing candidates and their supporters described the action by the police as a deliberate move to scare away the electors inorder to aid their colleague police officer win the election.

PS Soriba allegedly told the other candidates to go to court for redress on the issue, if they so wish, and this led to two of the candidates, Alhaji Momodu Foday Kamara of Yanah and Muctarr Sheriff Kamara of Fintonya petitioning Abu Bakarr Kamara. The petitions were heard at the High Court, presided over by Justice Fisher.

In another development, this medium can confirm that some violent attacks sparked up, allegedly by the military personnel who escorted PC Abu Bakarr Kamara on 12th July 2022, when the PC decided to go to his home town of Sanya, after receiving his staff from His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio in Koidu City, Kono District. Among the escort team were the Local Unit Commander (LUC) of Kamakwei Division, the military commander of the 4th battalion in Makeni, Office of the National Security (ONS) representative and the Provincial Secretary of North-West, together with heavily armed military and police personnels. They passed through Yanah, which lies about eight miles away from the home town of the PC at about 4:30PM, eyewitnesses said.

It was alleged that the military officers, including the military commander of Makeni, returned to Yanah at about 11pm on that very day. On their arrival, they arrested some youths and asked them to identify the section Chief, which they refused. They were allegedly tortured and the chief was later identified and arrested. That sparked up tension between the military and the community, leading to the alleged firing of live bullets by the military, resulting injuries and one Mohamed Kamara in a critical condition, and stabbing of two others, who are currently responding to treatment at Kamakwei government hospital. This incident created panic in the township, as residents fled to the surrounding villages for refuge.

It was also alleged that on July 13th 2022, two trucks loaded with Military and Police officers, stormed the town in the morning hours, arresting and beating up people. It was revealed that live bullets were again fired, leading to one dead and many others injured. Several arrests were made and taken to the Kamakwei detention Centre in Kamakwei. It is alleged that one of the trucks used by the police force to conduct the exercise belongs to the younger brother of the newly elected PC.

It is against this back ground that residents of Yanah accused the police of heavy handedness and biasness. They also indicated that the alleged shooting to death of their brother and arrest of others happened right in front of the LUC of Kamakwei.

This medium contacted the LUC of Kamakwei, who confirmed the violent incident in Tambaka and revealed that the police was just there for sanity to prevail, as they have no hands in the electoral process. He stated that they were on their way going to accompany the newly elected PC to his home town of Sanya, when they were confronted with road blocks from rioters at Yanah village, for which he accused certain stakeholders at Yanah of inciting the youths to cause mayhem. He stated that the entire allegations are just because they did not allow rioters to continue causing unrest for peaceful citizens in that part of the country.
He however confirmed the death incident, but said he could not comment on the issue further.
He nevertheless narrated that he met the deceased bleeding upon his arrival at Yanah Town from Sanya on that fateful morning, and decided to take him to Kamakwei government hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Ibrahim Kamara, Spokesman of the Sierra Leone Police, in his response to this medium, said the issue is currently under investigation and the files are now at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown.
He furthered that the police is also investigating the cause of the death and they will soon come up with a report to update the public.

About six of those arrested from Yanah town are currently being remanded at the Makeni Correctional Services (SLCS).

It is now a clear norm that most of the chieftaincy elections conducted in the country under Minister Tamba Lamina, Local Government Minister, has ended in violence; for reasons mostly attributed to imposing the wrong candidate, either on financial basis or based on political connections.