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Civil rights activist Thomas Pa Alie Babadie has confirmed that he has been invited again by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Freetown.
This follows comments he made during a recent appearance on AYV TV where he questioned the leadership of the Inspector General of Police.
Babadie, who is the Executive Director of the Forum for Sierra Leone Youth Network, said the invitation came shortly after his appearance on television. During the program, he said the Inspector General “is not competent in handling the office.” He said that minutes after the show ended, he received phone calls from CID officers asking him to report for questioning on Thursday morning.
This is not the first time Babadie has been called in by the police. A few weeks ago, he had planned to organize a peaceful protest and wrote to the police requesting protection for the demonstration. Instead of being granted approval, he was invited to Police Headquarters for what was described as a discussion. Upon arriving, Babadie said he was detained at CID for several days without being charged.
Babadie said the protest was aimed at asking the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL) to publish the full 2023 election results on its official website. He said results from the 2007, 2012, and 2018 elections were all made public online, but the 2023 presidential, parliamentary, and local council results have not been published. According to Babadie, the ECSL had announced in June 2023 that results would be released by constituency in the following days, but this has not happened.
He also stated that their actions were backed by legal advice. Their lawyers, with more than 15 years of experience, confirmed that their plan to protest was lawful. They were told to submit a letter and wait for the decision of the Inspector General. If the IG agreed, they could proceed; if he refused, they were advised not to move forward. Babadie said that no meeting ever took place with the IG, and instead, he was detained for an hour without any discussion.
He further alleged that the police asked for his phone and laptop, and later went to his office, downloaded files from his desktop, and searched through documents. He said they claimed to have a warrant. Police officers also went to his home with heavily armed OSD personnel, carried out a search, and left the place in disarray. Babadie said he plans to take legal action, calling the searches unlawful.
He was later released on bail after being accused of forging documents, a charge he denies. He was later accused again of forgery in connection to the protest documents and the signatures they submitted. Babadie said the police questioned whether he and his team personally collected the 1,200 signatures and challenged the structure and content of their letters.
Attempts to contact Police Spokesperson Brima Kamara for comment have not been successful.
Babadie is now in hiding. He says he is afraid to appear at CID again, especially as the period from Friday through Monday has been declared public holidays. He said journalists and rights advocates have often raised concern about being called to CID just before long weekends due to the risk of extended detention without public oversight.
Several civil society groups and human rights organizations are following the case. They say they are watching closely to see how the matter is handled.
I saw this coming, after I listened to his interview.
Let him go and justify his statement to the police with regards to the ull statement he made against the inspector general of police
What a coward he is. After running his mouth like an unregulated radio set at the TV station, i expected Babadi to be man enough to visit the CID and justify all the comments he made. He has instead gone into hiding. This reminds me of the maxim: “Fools rush where angels fear to step.”