September 12, 2018
By Patrick Jaiah Kamara
L-R: Morlai Conteh and Thomas Moore Conteh
A Consortium for Good Governance, Human Rights and Democracy has called on the leadership of the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) to reinstate with immediate effect the suspended Local Unit Commander of Mile 91 Police Station, Superintendent Alimamy Sesay.
Supt. Sesay was suspended following an outburst on radio after the alleged shooting and killing of one Abdul Kombay Kamara by armed police men in Massengbeh.
“We advised that the suspended LUC be reinstated and that he should not suffer adversity for saying the truth as he attributed the duties of a good citizen,” the group said in a press statement.
Police media boss Superintendent Brima Kamara yesterday confirmed on Radio Democracy FM98.1’s ‘Gud Morning Salone’ programme that Sesay has been suspended pending further investigations.
Sesay had earlier told the media that he was not aware of a raid conducted by the Transnational Organised Crime Unit of the SLP within his command area, which led to the alleged loss of life and property.
The rights group, comprising eight Civil Society Organisations, yesterday told newsmen at the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists headquarters that they visited the affected communities on 9th September to ascertain the veracity of the allegations.
The group highlighted twelve points as their findings and affirmed that they would follow the investigation to its logical conclusion.
They noted that this was not the first time security personnel were being accused of using lethal weapons against unarmed civilians, thus calling on the Independent Police Complaint Board (IPCB) to accelerate and judiciously look into the allegations.
The group also demanded that the corpse of the alleged victim be handed over to the family after post-mortem examination, adding that an independent inquiry, separate from the IPCB’s, be conducted.
Meanwhile, the group issued a 21-day ultimatum for the authorities to address the issues and allegations judiciously, failing which they would call a nationwide protest in what they referred to as ‘defense of human rights.’
However, the police have denied either killing or shooting any individual during the raid but expressed commitment to speedily investigate the matter.