The Mayor of Freetown City Council Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr is currently at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Sierra Leone Police.
She has been charged to court for obstructing police activity. She will be “profiled” before a decision to detain or free her will be reached.
Last week, Police ordered Aki-Sawyerr to appear at a meeting following the arrest of her aide, Sheku Turay who was detained for allegedly inciting deadly violence earlier this year.
She said she’ll attend the meeting on Monday. She has denied any involvement in the protests in August, which led to the deaths of at least 20 people.
Authorities in September arrested the aide, Sheku Turay, as he and the mayor were about to board a flight to attend the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Goalkeepers event in New York.
Tensions between the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party and Aki-Sawyerr’s opposition All People’s Congress party has deepened as the nation prepares for a national poll in 2023.
President Julius Maada Bio blamed the opposition, including Aki-Sawyerr for the deadly protests in August against the rising cost of living.