Sierra Leone’s Former Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema, has expressed concerns about the military’s response to the recent coup attempt in Sierra Leone.

Speaking in an interview, Leema questioned how the unidentified individuals were able to gain access to the military armory and prisons without encountering significant resistance.

“I find it hard to believe that the unidentified individuals were able to gain access to the armory and even move to the prisons without any resistance,” Leema stated. “This raises serious questions about the military’s readiness and ability to respond to such threats.”

While Leema commended the military for eventually repelling the coup attempt, he criticized the slow reaction time. “The reaction time was very poor,” he said. “The government needs to pay more attention to the morale and well-being of the military to ensure that such incidents do not happen again.”

Leema also called for a review of the military’s structure and procedures to prevent future coup attempts. “There are structural issues that need to be addressed,” he said. “We need to have a proactive security response in place at all times.”

In addition to addressing the military’s shortcomings, Leema urged President Bio to engage in regular communication with the troops to maintain morale and prevent future unrest. “The president needs to be having moral discussions with the troops,” he said. “There needs to be a regular chain of communication between the police and the military to ensure that we have enough information to prevent any future reoccurrence of this sad event.”