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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