FREETOWN, 28th October 2026 – The Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) has expressed serious concern over allegations made by the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), Moses Sellu Mambu, against AYV journalist Victor Jones.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, 28th October 2026, SLAJ said Mr. Mambu publicly accused Jones of pursuing an agenda against the SLPP and of conspiring with fellow journalist Thomas Dixon to submit a false report against him.
According to SLAJ, when contacted, Mambu later clarified that his claim of an anti-SLPP agenda was directed at media houses in general and not specifically at Victor Jones. However, the SLPP spokesman maintained his second allegation – that Jones and Dixon had conspired to file a false report about him.
SLAJ says it has checked its records and found no evidence of any such false report submitted by the two journalists.
The Association warned that such unsubstantiated public accusations from a senior official of the ruling party are dangerous and could put journalists at risk.
“Their professional work should not be portrayed as an agenda against a political party just because their reporting may be critical or uncomfortable,” SLAJ President Alhaji Manika Kamara said in the statement.
The incident comes at a time when press freedom and political tolerance are under scrutiny, with less than two years to the 2028 general elections. Journalists, particularly those covering politics, have complained of increasing harassment both online and offline.
SLAJ reminded political leaders, especially those in government, of their duty to protect press freedom and not use their platforms to intimidate reporters.
The Association called on Mr. Mambu and all political actors to exercise restraint in public statements and to use established channels for complaints against journalists – including the Independent Media Commission (IMC) and the SLAJ Disciplinary Committee – rather than resorting to public name-calling.
Victor Jones is a senior journalist at Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire, one of Sierra Leone’s largest private broadcasters, while Thomas Dixon is a well-known investigative journalist and former SLAJ executive.
