By John Bangura
Lansana Dumbuya, the National Secretary-General of Sierra Leone’s main opposition All People’s Congress (APC), was granted bail on Monday after being remanded in custody on charges linked to alleged remarks about President Julius Maada Bio.
Dumbuya had been detained at the Pademba Road Maximum Correctional Centre over the weekend following his court appearance, where he faced three charges including incitement, insulting conduct and public insult against the president. The charges stem from comments prosecutors say he made at an APC rally on Jan. 31.
His release on bail follows several days of political tension, including the absence of APC members of parliament from parliamentary proceedings earlier on Monday.
Details of the bail conditions were not immediately available.
Dumbuya’s arrest had drawn criticism from sections of civil society and opposition supporters, who argued that political speech should not attract criminal sanctions. Authorities have not publicly commented beyond the charges filed in court.
The case has added to heightened political sensitivities in the country, where relations between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the APC have remained strained since the 2023 general elections.
