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Six youths in Makeni City last year July 18, were caught in a crossfire between Security Forces and protesters over a generator and up till today the public is yet to be notified of any development in the matter.
A year since the ugly incident in Makeni which claimed the youth’s life who were protesting over a one Kilo Watts Generator which was to be transferred to Lungi from Makeni.
What happened a year ago
The chaos broke out when news spread that the thermal unit in Makeni was going to be removed and transferred to Lungi.
The people were said to have gotten no prior official notice about this move by the government.
So the people who got the information took it as a ploy by the government to take their electricity away from them and stop their regular flow of electricity in the town.
This in turn led to the running battle between the security apparatus and the people of Makeni, and six youths were shot during the fracas.
It was reported that the security forces began firing into the sky and people started running away and after a while, people kept throwing stones at them, they, in turn, started shooting into the people, which led to the loss of life.
A Year after the incident this is what residents have to say…
Adiatu Koroma a cook in an interview with Sierraloaded said she’s has been living in fear since the incident because nothing has been done to the security forces who carried out this atrocity.
“As a woman and mother I fear for myself and my children because since this thing happened they are yet to tell us the outcome of their investigation or the way forward,” she said.
She continued that thinking of the way and manner in which the incident took place was uncalled for.
She added that thinking of the young boy who was just 15 that died gives her more cause for concern as her son is just about that age.
“My son is around the same age as the boy that died, so I don’t even want to think of living the pains of that parent who lost their son who was killed,” she said.
A Facebook user by the name Alie Mohamed Alie wrote;
“As I write this piece no justice has been instituted, not even a statement of mercy and condolence from our father of the nation, Maada Bio. Other youths were unjustly imprisoned for the same issue.”
“Each time I remember these lost souls I cry endlessly 😭😭😭,” he had written.
Another user by the name of Ishmail Stanley Bangura asked questions about justice and the rule of law in his Facebook post.
“Where is the justice?
Who has been brought to book?
Where is the Government?
Where are the human rights activists?
Where is our constitution?
Chapter ll
Section 15/16#MakeniLivesMatter
We need justice for all.
We demand freedom for those who were detained
Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Koroma while ending the interview called on the government to allay the fears of the Makeni people and give justice where it was due, so they can stop living their lives in fear.
A year since the gruesome incident some youths are still languishing at the Pademba Road Correctional Facility in Freetown with no headways into the case or detention.
However, residents have taken it upon themselves to create a hashtag or #Makenilivesmatter which they hope will bring them justice.
