In the aftermath of the escape of AminataMoriba, wife of Denis MoininaMoriba, who was being sought by both the police and members of a female secret society, ‘Bondo’, her husband became to target of the police, and he was arrested on 11th April 2022 by the police at the Lungi International airport, barely minutes after his wife left on a flight out of the country, on allegation of aiding and abetting the escape of his wife.
According to our source, Moinina was mercilessly beaten on 11th April 2022 and brought to Freetown, and later handed over to the members of a male secret society, who then took him to Kenema, where he was forcefully initiated. On his return and recuperation, he is said to have been engaged in commercial bike transport business, since he was unable to get a job after finishing his academic pursuit at the University.
Our source furthered that Moinina was a staunch member of the main opposition party, like many riders of commercial bikes in the country, and even after initiation by his tribesmen on the belief that he will relinquish his affiliation with the opposition party, he refused and continued to participate in various activities of the party. Living in Freetown after the terrible encounter between his wife and the combined team of police and secret society members of the ‘Bondo’ in Bo, he is said to have been resolute to stay with the main opposition party (APC).
It was further revealed that during the August 10 violent protest that claimed the lives of 6 police officers and over 25 civilians, Moinina was in the vicinity of his Freetown residence in eastern Freetown, when a group of security officers and ruling party thugs descended on the area, beating and vandalizing residences of known opposition members in the area, as there were reports that some two police officers were brutally killed by youths in the area between Wellington and Kissy. As a result, the team of security officers seemed to be taking revenge for their lost colleagues, and any young man of woman seen around, was either shot at or mercilessly beaten. This was exacerbated when a curfew was declared in the city by the government. Our investigation revealed that Moinina fell victim of the police brutality, and was severely beaten. He is said to have managed to escape, when other youths began throwing stones on the police.
Our source further disclosed that since that protest, Moinina has not been seen, and there were speculations that he has been shot and killed. Eye witnesses say that MoininaMoriba was identified by some youths in the company of the security forces, as being a member of the main opposition party, and he was immediately attacked and beaten. They further disclosed that they saw Moinina escape from the hands of the police and that he was being shot at whilst running into a nearby heavily congested settlement. They could not say whether he was killed or not, but confirmed that they saw him being shot at.
However, in the aftermath of the violent riot, President Bio heaped the blame for the violent riot of the main opposition party, describing them as terrorists. This classification saw many prominent opposition members going into hiding, as ruling party youths and security forces stormed houses of suspected opposition members and sympathizers, arresting or shooting them on sight, as in the case of popular blogger of the APC, Evangelist Samson, who was gunned down at point blank range by a combined team of police and military officers.
Our investigation also revealed that with the disappearance of Moinina and others, family members of the missing persons were unable to identify their loved ones at the central mortuary, as the facility was heavily guarded. Even those who managed to identify their loved ones, were not given permission to bury them. This refusal by the government to allow the burial of those victims has been vehemently opposed by the leaders of the main opposition party, as a means of shrouding what they referred to as extra-judicial killings, as the corpse all had bullet wounds.
As we go to press, many families have been unable to know whether their loved ones were among those buried by the government, or had been secretly buried to hide the number of dead killed by shooting from the security forces. It is not known whether Denis MoininaMoriba is among one of the dead, but what is clear is that his whereabouts are still unknown. The police in a press conference held at its headquarters in Freetown, said that though a list of wanted persons has been released, there are some others that are wanted and are being sought after.
