Foday Kargbo, formerly of No.2 Looking Town at Kissy, east of Freetown, is reportedly on the run after the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) allegedly declared him wanted for subversion, incitement, and possible arson.
Police sources claim that he was one of the alleged organisers of the violent demonstration on 10 August 2022 in Freetown, Waterloo, Makeni and other areas in the country which claimed the lives of six police personnel on duty and countless civilians, and the burning down of police stations and buildings owned by peaceful citizens countrywide.
During the violent demonstration, it is reported that shops and business places were looted, houses were burnt down, and scores of civilians wounded.
Investigations revealed that Foday Kargbo is a welder that is living with his wife, his four children, and mother. He is said to have been one of the ring leaders of the violent demonstration. Unconfirmed reports say he used his welding shop at a place called Shell to organise secret meetings with youths prior to the demonstration. Unfortunately for him, after the security forces crushed the demonstration, his welding shop was vandalized as he was nowhere to be found.
Foday Kargbo stands accused of traveling, mobilizing, organizing, and inciting young people countrywide to rise up against the Government of President Julius Maada Bio under the guise of educating them about the reasons for the economic hardship in the country and the alleged continuous victimizations of opposition members and supporters.
It could be recalled that the aftermath of the violent demonstration, now infamously called “August 10”, saw the arrests of scores of civilians whom the security forces accused of incitement, subversion, and arson.