President Sierra Leone Bar Association, Robert Kowa told the meeting that security and peace are two constituted issues that lies mainly in the hands of government but that they must be monitored and uphold by institutions such as those summoned in the hall.

According to him, the Bar will continue to do follow ups of such mattersand will always be ready to work with the media and other partners to ensure Sierra Leone is peaceful and stable.

Michaella Swallow is Vice President of the Association, she told the meeting that recent attacks on journalists, especially ladies, have some negative effects on them and the country’s peace and stability.

She said such issues need to be properly looked into and perpetrators brought to book.

Addressing issues of security in the absences of the Sierra Leone Police was Lesmond Jones representing the ONS. He said their task is to ensure safety and wellbeing of Sierra Leoneans. He said ONS is similarly concerned about what would be the outcome of the investigations regarding the attack on journalists.

Responding to questions directed to the NEC, regarding the cancellation of votes in Constituency 110 Bye Election recently and other elections related violence, Chief of Media and External Relations, Christopher A. A. Jones said Section 32 of the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone gave NEC the sole responsibility to conduct elections in the country.

However, he said the NEC is not responsible to control chaos or riots on elections day, adding that the NEC’s role is not to control political parties as this he said is the responsibility of the Political Parties Registration Commission.

At the end of the meet, institutions present were able to map out strategies of intervention to prevent further occurrence of the ugly past in subsequent elections.