By Brima Kallon
The Secretary General of the All People’s Congress (APC), Lansana Dumbuya, remains in detention at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) more than 24 hours after honouring an invitation for questioning over remarks made during the party’s recent mammoth meeting.
Party sources confirmed that Dumbuya reported to the CID headquarters in Freetown as requested but has since been held without any formal charge publicly disclosed as of the time of filing this report.
The CID action follows a decision last week by the Political Parties Registration Commission (PPRC) to fine the APC Le350,000 for violations linked to utterances made at the gathering. The Commission said the sanction was imposed after it determined that remarks by party officials breached provisions of the Political Parties Act and the Commission’s code of conduct.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the PPRC cited the use of inflammatory and provocative language, warning that such remarks had the potential to undermine public order and political tolerance. The Commission cautioned political parties against hate speech, threats, or incitement, stressing that all registered parties are required to promote peace, national cohesion, and democratic norms.
Reacting to Dumbuya’s continued detention, senior APC official and legal practitioner Ady Macauley strongly criticised the authorities, describing the move as a selective application of the law and an erosion of free speech.
In a statement posted on social media, Macauley said the arrest and detention of the APC Secretary General for referring to President Julius Maada Bio as “Tiffy Tiffy Jankoliko” amounted to “a direct attack on freedom of speech and a dangerous shrinking of democratic political space.”
He argued that similar or more severe statements made by President Bio—both before and after assuming office—had not attracted police action. Macauley cited instances in which President Bio, while an opposition figure, publicly described former President Ernest Bai Koroma and his administration as corrupt, as well as comments made in 2019 referring to the former president and his government as “Ayampies,” without any intervention from law enforcement.
He further recalled that following the Pademba Road Prison massacre, President Bio referred to some citizens as terrorists during a presidential broadcast, yet no police investigation followed.
“But today,” Macauley said, “Lansana Dumbuya is detained for calling President Bio ‘tifi tifi jankoliko,’” questioning what he described as double standards in law enforcement.
Macauley also challenged the government’s record on accountability, urging the public to consider whether anyone has been held responsible for the alleged theft of 49,000 bags of rice donated by the Chinese government for school feeding programmes, to review audit reports of the past five years highlighting unaccounted-for public funds, and to examine the Lara Taylor-Pearce audit report which accused members of the presidential entourage of submitting a fake hotel receipt in Lebanon to justify expenditure.
He warned that silencing opposition voices undermines the rule of law and erodes public trust in governance, adding that the APC would no longer submit to intimidation.
“One thing is very clear,” Macauley said. “The APC will never again roll over and give in in the face of intimidation and bullying by anyone… this is the point of FULL STOP.”
While the specific remarks under investigation by the CID have not been officially disclosed, APC sources say Dumbuya had earlier expressed willingness to cooperate fully with the authorities.
Efforts to obtain an official comment from the CID or further response from the APC leadership were unsuccessful at the time of filing this report.
