Journalists Killed in 2011 - Motive Unconfirmed: Ibrahim Foday
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | 20 December 2011 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Killed in 2011 - Motive Unconfirmed: Ibrahim Foday, 20 December 2011, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f045a8927.html [accessed 2 November 2019] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
The Exclusive
June 12, 2011, in an area near Grafton, Sierra Leone
Foday, 38, a reporter for the private daily The Exclusive, died from a stab wound suffered during violent clashes over a disputed 10-acre plot between the neighboring villages of Kossoh and Grafton, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southeast of the capital, Freetown, according to the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists.
Police said they arrested two suspects, Victor Haffner, a Kossoh community leader, and a police constable, Musa Samura. A third suspect, Haffner's driver, was being sought, local journalists said.
The Exclusive said Foday was targeted as both a journalist, for taking photographs during the clashes, and as a perceived party to the dispute because of his role as a Grafton youth leader. Potential witnesses could be deterred from speaking out because of the presence of a police barracks in the area and the influence of the Kossoh leader, according to local journalist Emma Black, who covered the murder for Sky Radio.
Six people were injured over the course of three days of clashes, according to Exclusive Publisher Sheik Sesay, who said Foday had written four stories about the land dispute and had not reported any threats. Foday was the father of two, according to local journalists.
Motive Unconfirmed: CPJ is investigating to determine whether the death was work-related.
