By Agnes Aineah (ACI Africa)
Days leading to the August 30 murder of Fr. Augustine Amadu, Sierra Leone’s Catholic Diocese of Kenema where the Priest served before he was murdered witnessed a chain of attacks, including armed robbery at the Bishop’s residence, an attack at a Convent and on other Church facilities.
In a message that was issued on September 19, the day that late Fr. Amadu was laid to rest, Bishop Henry Aruna of Kenema Diocese decried the sudden wave of violence in the city of Kenema, and the failure by authorities to act.
“Residents deserve to live in peace,” Bishop Aruna said, adding that harassment, intimidation, beatings, wounding, loss of property and the killing of innocent people in Kenema had reached “unacceptable levels”.
“We call for robust action. Enough is enough!” the Bishop said.
Bishop Aruna said that the entire Diocese was grappling with many “unanswered questions” following the brutal murder of Fr. Amadu who met his assailants while he was preparing for a new mission in Kenema.
“We are still in utter shock and disbelief concerning the motive of this heinous act. This unprecedented event has attracted national and international interest, as so many unanswered questions are being raised,” Bishop Aruna said in the statement he co-signed with the Diocese’s Vicar General and Chancellor.
He, however, clarifies that the August 30 incident was not an isolated case.
The Catholic Bishop says that in the city of Kenema and in the Burma III section in particular, criminal gangs are “having a field day”, as they attack, beat, rob and kill people with little, slow or no police response.
He cites an incident on July 29 when armed men attacked the house of a Mr. Mohamed Jalloh, a humanitarian worker in Sierra Leone, at 1:48 am in Burma III. “Mr. Jalloh, his guest, and his wife were mercilessly beaten, and the thieves made away with money and other valuables.”
What followed , he says, was two hours of siege, with the criminals threatening to kill anyone who came out to confront them.
A few weeks later, another set of armed men attacked the house of Mr. Jalloh again but did not succeed in entering the compound.
On the night of Fr. Amadu’s brutal attack and death, some other residents were attacked in the neighbourhood, beaten, and their money and valuables taken away.
The attacks, Bishop Aruna says, have led to irreparable damage, and caused panic and horror among the people.
On July 13, the Catholic Convent in Blama is said to have been attacked by criminals who broke in at 1 a.m.
The Catholic Sister who was in the convent that night had to run out of the convent for her life and went to the Mission House for help, Bishop Aruna says, adding that the police never managed to capture the criminals who attacked the convent.
Two days after Fr. Amadu’s death, thieves are also said to have broken into the residence of the Catholic Bishop of Kenema and stolen two car batteries. The Bishop says he was fortunate to be out of the country on the day of the attack.
Two days before the attack at the presbytery where Fr. Amadu was murdered, one Mr. Lamina, a government official was wounded by armed gangs and nearly died.
He says that Catholic Mission houses and Convents have been attacked, in the past all over Kenema, and in neighbouring areas, including those served by the Catholic Diocese of Makeni.
“This must not continue. It must be stopped!” Bishop Aruna says, and adds that the worsening security situation has caused shock and unease among residents of Kenema.
The situation, Bishop Aruna said, is made worse by the fact that security presence in crime-prone areas has been minimal, and that even when reports are made, response remains quite slow.
Denouncing attacks particularly in the city of Kenema, the Bishop said, “As a Church, we believe in the dignity of human life. We therefore strongly condemn the attacks and killing of innocent civilians.”
“Evidence abounds that the security situation now needs to be improved. We therefore wish to draw the attention of our security personnel to the present state of affairs and urge them to take stringent safety measures to forestall future unfortunate occurrences,” he said.
“We do not deserve this,” he said, and added, “We cannot accept it any longer. Those charged with the responsibility of protecting lives and property should take robust measures to maintain law and order.”
According to the Sierra Leonean Church leader, violent attacks serve as a recipe for chaos and division and may trigger people to defend themselves by taking the law in their own hands. “We appeal to the Government of Sierra Leone not to allow this to happen,” he said.
The Catholic Bishop called for a thorough investigation to be carried out by the police and other relevant stakeholders that would establish the root cause of the sudden wave of attacks in Kenema.
He also appealed to the Sierra Leonean government to empower its security forces with the security apparatus that will help them to do their jobs effectively.
The Bishop also suggested that armed police and military be deployed in strategic and vulnerable areas of Kenema and in other areas with security lapses. “We appeal for other robust preventive measures to be put in place to address the security lapses in those areas,” he said.
“We hope that there will be no room for complacency because this appalling security situation is a wake-up call to the security forces and other stakeholders to do more to end this criminality,” Bishop Aruna says, and adds, “We encourage all civilians to provide relevant information to the police and the military to help them carry out their constitutional duties.”