By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)
Victoria Gassama, a mother of six children at King Jimmy, Freetown, met her untimely death on Friday, July 28, 2023 when blocks of a 25 year old unfinished building owned by the Speaker of the Sierra Leone Parliament Dr. Abass. C. Bundu accidentally fell on her.
However, the Africa24 newspaper gathered that Dr. Abass C. Bundu has expressed his deepest sympathy for the unfortunate situation by donating fifteen Million Old Leones (Le15M) to the bereaved family in order to console them.
However, some citizens cast blame on Dr. Abass C. Bundu for neglecting the building for over two decades while the bereaved family on the other hand, blamed the project contractor for substandard work done which led to the deadly incident.
Sadly, the deceased, Madam Victoria Gassama, left six children with her depressed husband Alhassan Mansaray, an unemployed father who survives through providence. He told Africa24 newspaper that Dr. Abass Bundu is to meet with the family for better arrangement regarding the children.
Nevertheless, Alhassan Mansaray lamented that “As a family we appreciate his effort as a grandfather of the youth and also father of the nation, yet, we deeply need his further help because the six kids that my late wife left are too young for me alone as a single parent to cater for at a very difficult time like this more so when I have been unemployed for quite a long time and she was the bread winner of the our home through her petty trading. ’’
Speaking to the Deputy Crime Officer at the Central Police Division Inspector Munu described the late woman’s sudden demise as death by misadventure, and they would send the file to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for advice.
In a Whatsapp interview with Dr. Abass Bundu, he maintained that the law of the state prohibits anybody to build and dwell at the point where the late woman was residing as a private residence and he advised the investigators to contact Inspector Munu.
“I suggest you investigate the matter fairly and objectively and try to refrain from giving the public a jaundiced account of the incident including in particular whether the area or indeed the building in which the deceased met her unfortunate demise should lawfully be where it was located at the material time.
I personally sympathized greatly with the family for the irreplaceable loss of their loved one and I have expressed this profoundly to them both in words and in deeds and even ordered the works stopped for several days at great expense at the building site out of sheer unbounded respect for the memory of the deceased. The family in the presence of the Police met me the day after the tragic incident and we arranged the needful for a befitting funeral which they appreciated. However, since you as a journalist have now shown so much interest in the matter, regardless of what might be your own motive; I implore you kindly to continue to investigate it with a higher degree of fairness and unadulterated objectivity looking particularly at all the circumstances surrounding this most tragic misadventure. I pray that Allah forgive the earthly mistakes of the deceased and grant her gentle soul eternal rest and also grant her family and friends the fortitude to bear their irreparable loss! Ameen;’’ Dr. Abass Bundu concluded.