Attack on opposition supporters in Sierra Leone has become a common place in Sierra Leone since the governing Sierra Leone People’s Party assumed power in 2018.
One of the victims of these unwarranted attacks is Alex Shyllon, a honorary member of the youth wing of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) party who even before his party lost power in 2018 was severally threatened by the youth of the ruling (SLPP) accusing him for wearing their party colour. The SLPP members are said to have told Alex and his members that if they assume power they will kill all of them. At one point, Alex who is also businessman was forced to close his shop when members of the SLPP pelted him with stones during their rally accusing his APC government then to have done nothing for the people.
On January 30th, 2017, while Alex was on his way to buy items for his shop, he was again attacked by his SLPP opponents and for wearing his APC party outfit and threatened that if APC fails to relinquish power they will kill them after the election. “Leave power or you die,” Alex’s attacked are quoted to have said. Even though reports of these attacks were made to the police, nothing however was done to the chagrin many people. Given that police never took action on the previous matters, Alex decided not report the latest violence on him. As if that was not enough, Alex was again physically attacked mobbed and injured on different parts of his body on April 4th, 2018 after his party lost power to the current régime. He was left unconscious and was taken to hospital by passersby. Knowing that his APC party has lost power, Alex was going home to prepare and leave for his village to hide for fear of reprisals when the unfortunate incident took place.
Alex again did not report the matter even though he was hospitalized for four days but was horridly discharged on April 8th for security reasons and his father took him to a village called Rotenratha in the Northern Province to take cover where he continued to take treatment and was there until April 15th 2018. When Alex decided to return back to the capital, Freetown, believing that the situation was normalized, he was again surprisingly attacked by a group of SLPP members, beat him severely and opened up his old wounds. While his family members tried to escape with him to another village called Rokatic, Port Loko district for cover, he fell from his wheelchair and the stiches above his eyes were loosed, his father and sister who had come to his rescue were also harmed in the process.
When his father reported the matter to the police, he was told to name the attackers and their addresses otherwise they will not take action.
Alex’s crime for all the attack on him was that he was a threat to the SLPP, given that he was the organizer of his APC party in Angolan town where he formerly resides. In May 2019, Alex decided again to return back to the city, because the new government had assured to stop all forms of violence on opposition members. Unfortunately however, their party chairman was killed on June 16 which forced him to return back to Rokatic village to hide for one year until August 24th 2019.
In another instance, Alex is quoted to have recounted that when he had gone to cast his vote during the parliamentary by-election in constituency 110 in Angola town where he lived and worked as organizer for his APC party, the SLPP again continued their hooliganism by destroying the ballot boxes in the presence of the police and as usual police didn’t do anything which forced him and party members to protest on the streets in large numbers accusing the police to be backing the SLPP. It is gathered that an hour later during the protest, police arrested good number of them and gave them thorough beating but Alex was lucky to escape. But on August 26/27 2019 the police accused young Alex of organizing the protest and the destruction of the ballot boxes. But after searching for him in vain, he and his members were later declared wanted which forced him to flee the country to an unknown location for his safety.
