SLAJ RAPS SLPP SPOKESMAN OVER JOURNALIST ATTACK

The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has condemned statements by the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) National Publicity Secretary, Moses Sellu Mambu. Mambu allegedly accused AYV Media Empire journalist Victor Jones of pushing an agenda against the party and of conspiring to file a false report against him with the Association. In a press release issued on Wednesday, SLAJ said the remarks could damage Jones’s professional reputation and expose him to “unwarranted hostility” in what it called an already polarised political environment.
The row comes from Mambu’s appearance on the Liberty TV Online Breakfast Show on 19 October 2026. The programme was hosted by Khadija Bangura and Mabel Kabba. During the broadcast, Mambu reportedly named Jones as one of the journalists setting an agenda against the SLPP. He also alleged that Jones and fellow journalist Thomas Dixon had conspired to submit a false report against him to SLAJ. Jones filed a formal complaint with SLAJ on 21 October.
SLAJ Secretary General Edward Farah Marah contacted Mambu for his response. Mambu said his comments about an agenda against the party referred to media houses, not to Jones personally. However, he stood by his claim that Jones and Dixon had conspired to file a false report against him.
SLAJ said it reviewed the available evidence, including a video recording of the broadcast. The Association said its records contain no false report from Jones and Dixon against Mambu. It rejected the allegation as unsupported.
“Journalists have a constitutional responsibility to inform the public, scrutinise those in authority and hold power to account,” said SLAJ President Alhaji Manika Kamara. “Their professional work should not be portrayed as an agenda against a political party just because their reporting may be critical or uncomfortable. Any concerns about a journalist’s conduct should be raised through appropriate channels and addressed on the basis of evidence.”
The Association warned that publicly linking a named journalist to hostility towards a ruling party can expose that journalist to intimidation, harassment and threats to personal safety. It urged political leaders and party officials to show restraint. SLAJ called on Mambu to “exercise greater responsibility in his public pronouncements” and to respect the independence of journalists. It also urged all political actors to raise complaints about the media through constructive engagement and established complaint mechanisms.
The Association said it would keep engaging political leaders and other stakeholders so that journalists can work “without fear or favour.”