All posts by : Christian Conteh

By: Abdulai Sillah

Claim: A viral audio circulating on WhatsApp accuses a religious leader in Makeni of calling for the destruction of President Julius Maada Bio and his team during an Eid-ul-Adha congregation.

Verdict: UNCERTAIN; pending police investigation

Full Text

In recent days, a 10-minute and 56-second audio recording has been widely shared on various WhatsApp groups, alleging that a religious leader (Imam) in Makeni used an Eid-ul-Adha congregation as a platform to pray for the destruction of President Julius Maada Bio and his team.

A portion of the audio includes the following excerpt:

“We are calling on Almighty Allah to unleash destruction upon President Julius Maada Bio and his team executing evil against the citizens. For the first time in the history of the world, this president called himself president, elected himself as president for the second time, throwing the blood of human beings on earth, innocent people dying on earth just to keep him in power. Almighty Allah, we commit Maada Bio into your hands to destroy him and his team, killing people.”

In the audio, the congregation is encouraged to respond to the prayer, drawing a parallel with the story of Moses and Pharaoh. However, no audible response from the congregation can be heard in the background.

Methodology

To investigate the veracity of the claim, SuperNewsRoom reached out to Sheik Mohamed Jalloh, the regional head of the United Council of Imams and Inter-Religious Council. Sheik Jalloh revealed that they were contacted by the Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), who requested the presentation of a man named Sheikh Yusuf for questioning regarding the audio recording.

However, when they went to Sheikh Yusuf’s residence, his family informed them that he was not present and that there were rumors of army officials intending to arrest him. Fearing for his safety, Sheikh Yusuf went into hiding.

Sheik Jalloh expressed uncertainty about Sheikh Yusuf’s involvement, noting that he is not fluent in Krio and usually delivers sermons in Temne. There are rumors suggesting that the person who recorded the audio resides abroad and that it was a private recording made without a congregation present. The investigation is currently ongoing, and Sheikh Yusuf has not yet been located.

In addition, SuperNewsRoom contacted Assistant Inspector General of Police North-East, Edward Saa Samadia, who confirmed the allegations against Sheikh Yusuf. AIG Samadia shared that they have gathered information during their investigation and have requested the religious community to produce Sheikh Yusuf for questioning. However, as of now, he remains unaccounted for.

AIG Samadia refrained from providing further details, citing the ongoing investigation and assured the public that the outcome will be shared once the investigation concludes.

Conclusion

The individual accused of recording the audio, Sheikh Yusuf, is currently missing as he fears arrest by soldiers. This makes him unavailable for questioning to establish if he is indeed responsible for the audio and if the voice in the recording is his own.

Furthermore, the United Council of Imams, to which Sheikh Yusuf belongs, has been unable to confirm his involvement or verify the audio’s authenticity. As a result, the situation remains uncertain until the police investigation is completed, or further information becomes available.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

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By: Christian Conteh

Claim: US Ambassador David Dale Reimer has been transferred by the Biden administration because he breached his diplomatic right by involving in politics.

Verdict: FALSE

Full Text:

A Facebook post attributed to a certain Malik Malik Bah has claimed that the US Ambassador David Reimer has been transferred because he was involved in our local politics in Sierra Leone.

The post reads:

“Sierra Leone Gets New US Ambassador By the name of Hunt, Bryan David. The current ambassador David Dale Reimer has been transferred by the Biden administration because he breached his diplomatic right by involving in politics.”

Methodology:

To verify this claim, SuperNewsRoom reached out to Alhassan Jalloh, Press and Media Coordinator at the American Embassy in Freetown. He confirmed that the information was false and further sent us a message put out by Sarah Van Horne, US Embassy Public Affairs Officer.

The message reads:

DEBUNKING MISINFORMATION: Dear media colleagues, we’ve seen some misinformation online that we wanted to fact-check. The White House nominated Bryan Hunt to be the next ambassador to Sierra Leone on March 6 (well before the elections in Sierra Leone). Bryan Hunt’s nomination is pending final confirmation by the US Congress, and that process can take some time, so we do not, at this time, know when Ambassador Reimer will depart, and when the nominee for the next Ambassador will arrive. Regardless of when it happens, this transition is part of the normal cycle of Ambassador arrivals and departures, which typically occurs every couple of years. It is not related to any events in Sierra Leone and was announced publicly back in March.

Conclusion:

US Ambassador David Reimer was not transferred because he was involved in local politics in Sierra Leone. This transition is part of the normal cycle of Ambassador arrivals and departures, which typically occurs every couple of years.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Christian Conteh

Claim: The Africa Union has banned former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone for undermining President Bio’s administration and using the country’s youth to challenge authorities in the name of APC.

Verdict: False.

Full Text:

According to a Facebook page named: Mr.T Love Say No To Tribalism 4 A Better Sierra Leone, operated by a certain Abdulai Kamara, reports from CNN indicate that the African Union has put a ban on former President Ernest Bai Koroma accusing him of undermining the Bio administration.

A portion of the viral message reads:

@CNN NEWS REPORT “AFRICA UNION HAD BANNED ? AGAIN SIERRA LEONE FORMER PRESIDENT DR.ERNEST BAI KOROMA” BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE WHO IS UNDERMINE THE BIO’S ADMINISTRATION GOVERNMENT AND USE THE COUNTRY YOUTH BOTH YOUNG AND OLD TO CHALLENGE THE AUTHORITIES IN THE COUNTRY IN THE NAME OF APC

It also claims that the African Union is considering imposing sanctions on the United States because of alleged recorded abnormalities in the just concluded national elections.

BREAKING NEWS TODAY SUNDAY THE 6TH NOVEMBER,2022!!*

United State Risks Sanctions From Africa Union ( AU ) and the Head of Africa Union Election Observers Mission in the US Former President Of Sierra Leone Dr.Ernest Bai Koroma Just Confirmed On CNN in Washington DC that they have Recorded some Abnormalities in some national issues from Sierra Leone, ECOWAS, And The Africa Union Will Not Recognize The former president of Sierra Leone anymore in any Africa national issue under ( AU ) Africa Union Of any Democrat issue as election observe in any Africa election from today”this information came from President Joe  Biden in the United State of America on CNN this morning.

Methodology:

To verify this claim, the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom team thoroughly searched through the official platforms of the African Union and CNN. Our findings reveal that the claim is false.

The African Union has not issued any official statement or taken any action to ban former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone. There is no evidence to suggest that the AU has imposed any sanctions on the United States or that President Biden made such a statement during an interview on CNN.

It is also important to note that the page from which this information was shared is operated by a supporter of the SLPP and is notorious for sharing disinformation, particularly those that involve opposition figures.

Conclusion:

There is no basis to support the assertion that the African Union has banned Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma Former President of Sierra Leone or that the United States risks sanctions from the AU.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By Mabinty Kamara

Claim: Marcella Samba- Sesay escapes audit on 1.5 million Euros EU funding

Verdict: False, National Elections Watch (NEW) and Marcella Samba-Sesay did not receive 1.5 million Euros nor escape audit.

Verification

Following the conclusion of the general elections last week, NEW and one of its senior officials, Marcella Samba Sesay, has been embroiled in controversy regarding their decision to predict a run-off and demand for disaggregated data from the Electoral Commission for Sierra Leone (ECSL).

In the aftermath of that, there have been a lot of messages targeting her and the coalition, NEW. A viral message on Whatsapp is claiming that she escaped from Sierra Leone to avoid an audit of funds from the European Union (EU) to the tune of 1.5 million Euros.

A portion of the viral message reads:

“The European Union (EU) committed to funding NEW the total sum of €4 million for the 2023 elections in Sierra Leone. However, all opinion polls conducted on behalf of the EU prior to the elections by highly reputable and internationally recognized organizations predicted an outright victory for President Maada Bio without a runoff. It was on this basis that the EU decided not to make the full payment sum of €4 million upfront to NEW. Instead, the EU decided to initially fund NEW the sum of €1.5 million to independently monitor the political campaigns and elections on 24th June 2023.”

To verify this, the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom team reached out to the EU in Sierra Leone and its representative denied claims of giving NEW 1.5 million Euros.

Elisa Tesselli, Project Manager for Governance, described the news as “Fake news circulating”.

She explained that the NEW received funding from the European Union of 820,000 Euros to promote electoral integrity through citizens’ observation.

The funding, she said, has been committed to cover activities related to domestic election observation by NEW during the 2023 general elections as well as for capacity building.

“The European Union has not funded any opinion polls in Sierra Leone. Yes, the total amount is 820,000 Euros, this covers general elections and capacity building of citizens’ observers,” Elisa said.

NEW Communications Team described the claims as “blatant lies”.

Conclusion: False. There is no evidence to support the claims made in the viral message. EU did not give Marcella Samba-Sesay or NEW 1.5 million Euros.

NOTE: This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Mabinty Kamara

Claim: A press statement circulated on Social Media claims that Dr. Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara has congratulated President Julius Maada Bio on winning the June 24^th, 2023 elections

Verdict: False –the final results have not been announced by the Chief Electoral Commissioner to declare a winner.

Methodology:

We could not get the APC Publicity Secretary to speak to us at the time of the report.  However, to verify these claims, SLAJ/NDI super Newsroom fact checkers browsed the official social media handles of the APC executives including the presidential candidate Samura Mathew Wilson Kamara. The said press release could not be found anywhere on his Twitter account and other social media accounts.

Conclusion: The ECSL has since the announcement of the partial results not announced the final results. Hence, it is not likely for Samura to congratulate his main challenger when results were yet to be announced.

Note:  This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Christian Conteh

Claim: The SLPP has applied for an injunction to stop NEW and Marcella Samba Sesay from publishing the results in their possession.

Verdict: False, The SLPP has not filed an injunction to stop NEW from publishing any results.

Full text:

According to a claim, the SLPP has sought an injunction to prevent NEW and Marcella Samba Sesay from releasing the results they have obtained. The alleged injunction is supposedly related to Sesay’s statement on Radio 98.1 on Monday, June 26, 2023. In her statement, she mentioned their intention to publish the results, but with the condition that they await ECSL’s completion of their duties. She expressed hope that ECSL’s announcement would align with their findings.

Methodology:

To investigate this claim, the SuperNewsRoom reached out to Elkass Sannoh, the Head of Media and Communications at the Sierra Leone Judiciary. Sannoh confirmed that the judiciary has not received any such case. “We have not received any matter from any political party,” stated Sannoh.

Additionally, we contacted Umaru Napoleon Koroma, the Secretary General of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party. He refuted the claims, dismissing them as lies. “Lies lies,” he replied.

Conclusion:

Based on our investigation, neither the SLPP nor any other political party has filed an injunction to halt NEW from publishing any results they possess.

Note:  This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Mustapha Sheriff

Claim: The APC Chairman in Kailahun has been shot and killed.

Verdict: False, as confirmed by the APC District Chairman of Kailahun District.

Full Text:

A Facebook page, Makoni Times-Sierra Leone, posted on their wall that the Chairman of APC in Kailahun had been shot and killed. This claim has also been widely shared on WhatsApp.

Methodology:

To investigate the claim, the SuperNewsRoom contacted Ensah Jajua, the Chairman of the APC in Kailahun District.

Ensah Jajua stated that he was not aware of such a claim. He confirmed that he is alive, whilst mentioning that the Chairlady of the APC had been assaulted by unknown individuals in Koindu.

“No, I have not been shot dead and as we speak, I am in Freetown. However, I can confirm that the Chairlady of the APC and other supporters were severely beaten in Koindu, Kailahun District,” he confirmed.

Conclusion: There is no evidence to support the claim that the APC Chairman of Kailahun district was shot dead. The Chairman himself has denied the claim. Therefore, the claim is false.

Note:  This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Abdulai Sillah

Claim: Ballot stuffing at New London Community in Makeni

Verdict: False, evidence from the ECSL district office contradicts the claim.

Full Text

On the polling day of Saturday, June 24, 2023, a video started circulating on various WhatsApp groups. The video depicted two men who had allegedly been assaulted by members of the public on the grounds of attempting ballot stuffing. It was claimed that one of the men, Hassan Khalil, had been caught with four boxes of ballot papers and that he was sent by the District Elections Manager of ECSL Bombali, Claude Samura, to commit the act.

The video showed an ID card belonging to Claude Samura with the designation of District Elections Manager. The men, along with the ballot papers, were subsequently handed over to the police for further investigation.

Methodology

To investigate this claim, the SuperNewsRoom reached out to the regional office of the ECSL and spoke with Claude Samura, the District Elections Manager who was alleged to have dispatched Hassan Khalil with the ballot papers. Samura explained,

“Hassan Khalil is our office assistant and I had sent him to the filling station for fuel. As per our standard procedure, I usually provide him with my official ID card to authenticate the request at the filling station. However, I forgot to collect the ID card from him upon his return. Soon after, my Assistant District Manager asked him to urgently transport four sealed boxes of ballot papers to a location in Makeni that had been inadvertently left behind. It was during this task that he encountered the individuals who assaulted him, confiscated the materials, and handed them over to the police.”

The District Elections Manager further clarified that he had provided a statement to the police, providing an account of the incident. He emphasized,

“When we speak of ballot stuffing, it implies the use of already cast ballot papers. However, these seized ballot papers were brand new and sealed, so it cannot be considered as ballot stuffing.”

John Shanghai, the former district chairman of Bombali district, who reported the incident to the police, was also contacted for his perspective. Shanghai stated,

“Our APC party supporters at RC Kolo Kolo Primary School Center with centre code number 4149 in New London community informed me about a man caught with ballot stuffing at the polling centre. The crowd became agitated and beat up both him and the centre manager. I intervened promptly, halted the assault, and handed over the individuals, along with the ballot papers and the staff ID cards bearing Claude Samura’s name, to the Sierra Leone police for investigation.”

The SuperNewsRoom also reached out to the Deputy Regional Crime Officer and the regional Media officer of the Sierra Leone police, who confirmed that they were investigating the allegations. They had taken preliminary statements from the involved individuals, including the District Elections Manager, Claude Samura. However, they stated that the investigation was still ongoing and they would provide further updates upon its conclusion.

Conclusion: Currently, there is insufficient evidence to support the claim that the four ballot papers seized from Hassan Khalil, the ECSL district office assistant in Makeni, were intended for ballot stuffing. Until the police investigation concludes and presents their findings, the claim remains false.

Note:  This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

U Don Chek Am? Na 4 Chek Am!

By: Mabinty Kamara

Claim: Rumors circulating on various social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, and blogs, claim that a woman was killed last Sunday at the All Peoples Congress (APC) Party office in Freetown.

Verdict: True – A woman identified as Matron Mahawa Dumbuya was indeed found dead at the  APC party office on Sunday night.

Methodology:

To verify these claims, the fact-checkers at SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom reached out to the family of the deceased matron, the police, the APC Publicity Secretary, and residents in the vicinity of the party office.

Sidi Tunis, a spokesperson for the APC, confirmed that the woman died from a gunshot wound at the party office. However, the Police media team could not be reached for verification. The Inspector General of Police, Willaim Fayia Sellu, denied allegations of live rounds being fired when speaking to the BBC.

Ibrahim Conteh, the son of the deceased nurse, provided additional information to the SuperNewsRoom. He stated that his mother was a retired matron who had served for thirty years and was part of the medical team of the APC party. He explained that his mother had gone to the party office that evening and they later received the news that she had been shot. After searching several hospitals, they discovered that her body was still at the party office.

Conteh recounted, “With a team of police officers from the central police station where I made a statement and mortuary attendants whom we picked up at the Connaught hospital, the personnel that we met at the office who had denied us access allowed us. They opened the office where we met my mother drowned in a pool of blood.”

Residents living near the party office confirmed hearing the sound of a gunshot.

Conclusion: A woman identified as Matron Mahawa Dumbuya died at the APC party office on Sunday. However, at the time of this report, the cause of death could not be confirmed as the pathologists were yet to release their report.

Note:  This fact-checked story is a product of the SLAJ/NDI SuperNewsRoom on Combating Disinformation in Sierra Leone’s 2023 electoral cycle. The project is supported by Global Affairs Canada to enable citizens to have access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

The SuperNewsRoom is powered by Africell SL.

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