The incident occurred at the New Brookfields Hotel, the designated venue for the SLBA EGM. The meeting, organized by aggrieved members of the SLBA, aimed to address their concerns regarding the recent election of the new executive committee, led by Adama Tuma Gento.
These dissatisfied members were intent on
discussing the legitimacy of the election and their grievances. However, the
situation took a contentious turn when police officers surrounded and
barricaded the hotel, effectively stopping the meeting from taking place.
Victor Lansana’s condemnation centers on the legality and appropriateness of the police actions. He emphasized that the police had no court order to justify their intervention and stressed that such measures were excessive and uncalled for.
Lansana's stance is that the members of the SLBA should have been allowed
to meet and voice their concerns without interference from law enforcement, as
their actions did not pose any immediate threat to public order or safety.
In
his tweet, Lansana called on the police to only allow such interventions in the future if they have a clear and legal mandate to do so. He argued that
the rights of the SLBA members to assemble and discuss their issues peacefully
should be respected, and any intervention without proper legal backing
undermines the principles of justice and human rights.
The controversy surrounding the SLBA EGM has highlighted deeper issues within the association and raised questions about the conduct of the recently elected executive. The members who organized the EGM were dissatisfied with the election process and sought to address their grievances through this meeting.
However,
the intervention by the police, allegedly at the behest of the new executive,
has further complicated the situation and fueled accusations of impropriety and
authoritarianism.
Adama
Tuma Gento, the head of the newly elected executive, claimed that the EGM was
illegal and did not have the authority to proceed. This stance was reportedly
the basis for the police action, as Gento and his supporters sought to prevent
what they viewed as an unauthorized gathering. However, Lansana’s intervention
and public condemnation have shifted the focus to the rights of the SLBA
members and the appropriateness of police involvement in such internal matters.
The
incident has also drawn attention to the broader implications for civil
liberties in Sierra Leone. Lansana's condemnation serves as a reminder of the
importance of upholding human rights and ensuring that law enforcement actions
are grounded in legality and respect for due process. As the situation unfolds,
the response of the police and the SLBA's handling of internal disputes will be
closely watched by both national and international observers.