On 6 October 2026, the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists (SLAJ) issued a press statement condemning an alleged threat against journalist Thomas Josephus Dixon, Chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors and Managing Editor of the New Age Newspaper. The threat was reportedly made by Moses Sellu Mambu, National Publicity Secretary of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP), following a television programme at Africa Young Voices (AYV) in Freetown on 27 September 2026. SLAJ described the allegation as serious and urged the authorities to conduct an immediate, impartial, and credible investigation.
According to Dixon’s formal complaint, Mambu confronted him after the programme in the presence of presenter Victor Jones and videographer Abu Bakarr Kamara, allegedly saying: “We will hit you hard! This is the same reason for which your friend Samura was killed the last time.” Dixon later submitted an eyewitness account corroborating the incident. SLAJ noted the gravity of the statement, particularly as it referenced the death of journalist Ibrahim Samura, Dixon’s close friend, who died after being assaulted while covering the 2018 elections. Although criminal proceedings were brought against senior officials of the Ernest Bai Koroma administration, they ended in acquittals. SLAJ stressed that invoking Samura’s death amounted to a direct attack and provocation against Dixon.
The Association reiterated that the allegation warrants urgent investigation and called on the Sierra Leone Police to act swiftly. The Guild of Newspaper Editors has also released a statement condemning the threat and called for an investigation and action on this matter.
Thomas Dixon has a history of being a target of state intimidation in recent years, including his detention at the Criminal Investigations Department in August 2025 after reporting on Leone Rock Metal Group’s failure to pay staff social security, and threats from the Inspector General of Police in December 2024 that forced him and his family into hiding for over a week.