By Mohamed Massaquoi in Bo
Police in the southern regional headquarter town of Bo have confirmed to Politico the arrest of 40 young men and women suspected of involvement in violent cultism.
The police regional media officer South, Inspector Mohamed Bobson Senu, said the development followed an increase in gang crime in the region.
“The city is presently faced with the issue of some cliques comprising of both boys and girls who have been attacking innocent people and injuring them over their properties,” he said.
The issue became more alarming on Saturday 7th November when the World Health Organization declared Sierra Leone Ebola-free. According to the police, the first incident started at the entrance of the Bo Stadium where a crowd had converged to celebrate the day when two boys attacked one man and slapped him with a broken bottle. The victim was then stabbed with a knife and ripped off his phone and other valuables.
That same night, another incident happened at the Changes Night Club where people thought to be part of the same clique attacked another person, hit him with a bottle and stabbed him on his back with knife and then took away his properties.
Inspector Senu said it was after the last incident that the police received complaint from the victims, who were said to be currently admitted at the Bo Government Hospital.
“As a responsible police force, we immediately took up a robust action in the form of night patrol and we were able to arrest 34 of the clique members from Bo west alone. And as I speak, we have arrested another six and more to be arrested according to findings,” the police spokesman said.
He added that the victims have identified some of those in detention as their alleged attackers. Fifteen of the detainees have since been charged to the Bo magistrate court, he said.
Among those arrested were 10 females, some of whom were among those already charged. The charges range from “wounding with intent, to robbery with aggravation, and unlawful possession of offensive weapons.
Inspector Senu said 20 people were been prepared for arraignment in court and that they intended to bring those already charged for more charges.
According to the police, some of those arrested had marks on their backs, like ‘born to kill’, ‘not afraid of dying’, etc.
The police operation, Senu said, began even before November 7, in Bo East, where on the 31st October several students from the Every National Academy and the Bo Commercial Secondary School detained on similar allegations.
The students were said to have organized themselves, under the leadership of an unnamed Njala University Bo Campus student, who is presently on the run, in the guise of a party celebration at a place along Santigy Street, Gbondo town section in Bo.
“From police investigations, the intention of the university students was to initiate unsuspecting fellow party goers into their cult group,” Inspector Senu said.
He said one of the new initiates, name withheld, managed to escape and reported the matter to the police.
The police say the cult leaders extracted the blood of the new initiates and mixed them with wine. This they would drink after taken an oath of secrecy.
The police say they have confiscated nine cutlasses, six kitchen knives, and medical syringes, among other offensive weapons, in the most recent operation. Some of the weapons had on them blood stains, and all of them will be presented to the court as exhibits, Senu said.
Earlier this year, the police said they arrested another group of 20 cult members at the Borbonkorbor section in Bo, all of whom were tried and are still in jail.
(C) Politico 16/11/15
