The police have called for calm and urged residents in Makeni to go about their normal duties after reports inundated the space about the killing of a policeman. ASP Mathew Moiwah Gbanya was the regional Operational Supports Division Coordinator in the Northeast who was murdered in cold blood in the later hours of Saturday, April 8^th, 2023.

Reports in Makeni say a single gunshot was heard from somewhere and the commander dropped in a pool of blood gushing out of his upper part. This has been linked to the suspicion of the work of a snipper who could hit from such a distance, using what seems to be a powerful machine gun.

Police have commenced what they described as a full-scale but swift investigation to uncover the killer and the motive for the killing of the regional OSD commander.

Meanwhile, social media has been giving heads up about the incident. Some posts seem to suggest that the killing of the policeman serves as a retributive justice for the July 18^th, Makeni massacre in 2020, following a riotous protest for the removal of a 1.65 thermal megawatts generator on standby in Makeni that was to be transferred in Lungi. Others have likened it to a similar killing of a young man called Evangelist Samson, who was shot dead in Makeni by an unknown assailant. Until now, authorities have not been able to uncover the killer.

It gives a bad signal ahead of the June 24 elections, however, all is to hope for the best to come in the area of handling crime in general as much is expected from the security sector.

Meanwhile, in a press release issued today, April 9^th, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) condemns the killing of a police officer stating the association’s concerns about the safety and security of everybody working and living in the country, as we head into public elections on 24th June 2023.

“Report of such an unlawful killing is totally unacceptable and puts the nation in a state of fear and uncertainty,” the press release states in part.

“This is a very worrisome situation developing in our country. If police officers become targets then nobody is safe in this country. I am also concerned about the safety and security of journalists covering the elections. We all need a safe and conducive environment to participate freely in the elections,” said SLAJ President, Ahmed Sahid Nasralla.

SLAJ also notes with further concern the report today by the Sierra Leone Police of the alleged shooting of a commercial motorbike rider at Mano Corner, Lumpa, Waterloo. Police found a 'shotgun, cartridges, super glue, and quantity of face masks’ at the crime scene. There seems to be a proliferation of arms and ammunition in the wrong hands.

SLAJ calls on the SLP to swiftly, thoroughly, and impartially investigate the incidents and bring the alleged culprits to answer to the law.

SLAJ equally condemns the spreading of messages of incitement promoting hate, division, and violence, and appeals to the public, especially supporters of political parties and journalists at home and abroad, to refrain from disseminating speculative and unsubstantiated information to a gullible public.

SLAJ calls on Journalists, especially those working in Makeni to help the Police with reliable information that will lead to the arrest of whoever is responsible.