On June 15, 2025, journalist Mohamed Tamba Mattia, Head of Programmes at Eastern Community Radio (FM 96.5), was assaulted and stabbed in the arm by three unidentified police officers stationed at the residence of Sierra Leone’s First Lady, Dr. Fatima Maada Bio.
Mattia and other journalists had visited the First Lady’s residence in Koidu City to seek clarification on the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) district elections and reported plans to compensate former employees of Koidu Holdings Limited. While engaging a military officer at the gate, Mattia was confronted by two SLPP supporters, Mohamed Jalloh and Abdulai Daboh, who accused him of insulting the First Lady on air.
Eyewitnesses said a woman inside the compound, described as an SLPP loyalist, verbally assaulted Mattia and his mother, and instructed the military officers at the gate not to grant him access. This led to the police officers (members of the security detail stationed at the First Lady’s residence) attacking him, during which he was stabbed in the arm. Other journalists and some security personnel at the gate intervened to rescue him. Mattia also lost two mobile phones during the attack and is currently receiving treatment at the Koidu Government Hospital.
A complaint has since been filed with the Tankoro Police Division. “We have issued him a medical form, and upon his return from the hospital, investigation will commence,” said CSP Augustine Kamara, head of the division, in a phone interview with the MFWA.
While the First Lady’s office and SLPP district leadership are yet to issue public statements, the journalist confirmed receiving a visit from the Mayor of Koidu, accompanied by two Local Unit Commanders of the police. During the visit, the Mayor and the officers offered him an apology.
Eastern Community Radio, where the assaulted journalist works, has strongly condemned the attack and demanded a swift and impartial inquiry.
The MFWA calls on the authorities in Sierra Leone to take urgent steps to identify and hold accountable those responsible for the assault. Freedom of expression must be protected, and violence against media professionals must not go unpunished.
