By Bobor Dan Kamara

It’s now an open secret that there is a conflicting view shared between members of the Government of Sierra Leone and All People’s Congress (APC) in releasing prisoners whose offences were believed to have been politically motivated.

The Agreement of National Unity paved the way for the formation of the Tripartite Committee to amicably resolve the political instability through dialogue in the pursuit of peace and national cohesion in Sierra Leone.

Resolution 4 of the Agreement pinpointed the release of prisoners who were in detention on politically motivated cases, a reason a detailed list from the APC was presented to the Government through the Chief Minister Dr. Moinina David.

The Chief Minister, who doubles as the chief negotiator in implementing the recommendations of the Agreement of National Unity, however, took to his “X” (Twitter) account that they received a list of 318 names of “political prisoners” which was fictitious as 55 names were never in detention and only 15 are presently in custody.

He further maintained that some escaped detainees during the failed coup of November 26 but who were re-arrested might have completed their jail terms, paid fines or were being released based on Court orders.

The Secretary General of the APC party, Lansana Dumbuya, swiftly termed the update from the chief minister as “misleading” and “untrue”.

The public is in dilemma on whose story to believe since the said list has not undergone stringent scrutiny from an independent entity to enhance transparency and public trust.

Ideally, the need for both parties to formulate a committee to thoroughly investigate the unfortunate discrepancy should not be overemphasized as it undermines the Right to Life of people in detention facilities as it also threatens the country’s overall security.