By: Problyn J Alpha
The house of the former Minister of Lands in the Ernest Bia Koroma erstwhile government Madam Diana Finda Konomanyi at No. 20 Komba Ngenga Street in Koidu City Kono district was on Tuesday night 30th May 2023 burnt down by fire.
Talking to our correspondent, the younger brother of the former Minister of Lands who also resides at the aforementioned address Tamba Konomanyi maintained that at around 8 pm on the above fateful date prior to the burning of the said house he saw a group of unknown people who entered their compound and later all that he saw were locally made bombs ( Makambo) which they used to set the self-contained three rooms house with an office space house ablaze. According to him, nothing inside of the house was rescued everything was consumed by the inferno.
Responding to the allegation that the house was set ablaze because the owner of it Madam Diana Finda Konomanyi secretly defected to the Sierra Leone People’s Party and was given at least twenty-five motorbikes to be distributed among SLPP youths for the ongoing campaigns.
Tamba Konomanyi the younger of Madam Diana Finda Konomanyi debunked the allegation noting if his sister’s defection to the SLPP is true there was no need to make it a secret adding that all that he knows is that his sister was annoyed with the statement from an APC stakeholder that she is not important and as a result she has decided to take the back seat in the ongoing electioneering process and activities of the APC party, this he pointed out cannot be unconnected with the burning of his elder sister’s house.
He, therefore, described the act as a total destruction that doesn’t depict modern or civilized politics.
“This unlawful act has nothing to do with the SLPP rather than those who have been insulting my elder sister and us as family members on social media because “Sister” has taken the back seat in all of the activities of the APC,” Tamba Konomanyi explained.
Police have obtained statements from Tamba Konomanyi and others concerned and the investigation into the said matter continues. Reliable information from the Konomanyi family states that Madam Konomanyi was on her way to the Kono district when she was told about the said act. She had no option but to discontinue the journey and returned to Freetown.
Meanwhile, following such ugly development, the executive and membership of the Sierra Leone People’s Party in Kono district have strongly condemned what they called the cowardice act of violence.
This was contained in a press release dated 31st May 2023. The press release further condemned all forms of political violence, especially against women within the district and the country as a whole. These criminal and horrific attacks on people and property are not acceptable in any decent society therefore we are calling on the police to swiftly investigate and bring to book the perpetrators of the reported arson the press release maintained “.
The release also asked the security sector and duty bearers to increase security surveillance within the Kono district as Sierra Leoneans are yearning for total stability before, during and after the June 24th elections. Concluding the press release pointed out that the Sierra Leone People’s Party is committed to peace and the recently signed MOU by all political parties to ensure free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections devoid of violence, noting the occurrence of such ugly events may hinder women’s participation in the ongoing electioneering process.
“Owing to that we are imploring all registered political parties within the Kono district to abide by the rule of law,” concludes the release.
