By Samuel Kargbo
The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) has declared Fatmata Koroma wanted for alleged involvement in a public riot that led to the infliction of serious injuries on poor citizens and loss of properties costing millions of Leones.
The alleged incident occurred immediately when the High Court of Sierra Leone, on May 31 2019, gave a ruling to remove nine Members of Parliament from the House of Representatives who used to represent the main opposition All Peoples Congress (APC) party.
According to the Police, Fatmata Koroma is the Chairlady for Constituency 047 in the Tonkolili District, Northern Sierra Leone but she was accused to have participated in the violence that led to the unleashing of tear gas canisters and fired live gunshots, a number of times at the party Headquarters on Old Railway Line in Freetown.
According to report, the APC is convinced that the governing Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) influenced the decision of the Court in order to clinch majority of the seats in Parliament.
As some members of the opposition APC were singing songs of victory on their way to the party office from the Court the Police started firing live shots that culminated into riot and many people sustained injuries.
Fatmata Koroma is now known to be on the run and afraid for her life. She is known to be one of the strongest supporters of the All People’s Congress Party in her community. She was reported to have fled out of the country for fear that her life is in serious danger.
Sources close to this medium alleged that Fatmata Koroma shed light on the hurdles she went through in the hands of the Police on that fateful day, and she denied playing any part in the conflict as alleged but she was chased simply because they knew her to be a supporter of the APC.
Madam Koroma was a local business woman who owns a small scale business in her community. According to residents in the community, she has helped a lot of young people.
Certain youths in her community confirmed to this Press that because of Madam Fatmata’s interventions many now have jobs and living improved standards of living. Some people narrated her state of mind before her departure especially to receive medical treatment.
It was also narrated that her family and acquaintances are presently going through hell in the hands of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) supporters. They are frequently intimidated, provoked among other things. She now fears for her safety and that of her family which is why she is very afraid of returning to the country.
