By: Mustapha Sheriff

Claim: President Julius Maada Bio has ordered the destruction of all APC party offices in Kailahun ahead of the general elections.

Screenshot of the claim

Verdict: False, no evidence to suggest that President Bio made such an order.

Full Text: A claim has been circulating on Facebook and WhatsApp, attributed to a user named Sahr Mokuwah, stating that President Bio has issued an order for the destruction of all APC party offices in the Kailahun District.

Methodology: To investigate this claim, the SuperNewsRoom reached out to the Sierra Leone Police the institution charged with the responsibility to protect lives and property and the Chairman of the APC Party in the District.

The Chairman of APC in Kailahun, Ensah Jajua, stated that he was not aware of any such instructions from President Bio. However, he confirmed that there had been property destruction at their party office in the district.

“No one informed me about such an instruction from President Bio. However, I can confirm that there was a clash between APC and SLPP members in Segbwema, which resulted in the destruction of some properties at our party office in Segbwema,” he said.

The Head of Police Media in the region, Prince Kamara, also confirmed the occurrence of the skirmishes.

“There was a clash between the two major parties in Segbwema Njaluahun Chiefdom, Kailahun district. However, the police were able to control the situation,” he said.

It should be noted that on the campaign trail, President Bio has made several strong statements in Kailahun including accusing Former President Koroma of supporting people who wish to bring unrest in the nation. But, he at no point in time called for the destruction of the APC party office in the district.

Conclusion: There is no evidence to support the claim that President Bio ordered the destruction of APC party offices in Kailahun. 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 provide citizens with access to credible and accurate information during the elections.

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