By Mabinty M. Kamara
In what constitutes a major test of the effectiveness of the Covid-19 restrictions, the Sierra Leone Police is on the spot for sanctioning one of its officers who refused to allow some “influential persons” to allegedly violate the curfew order.
Inspector John Kargbo, who was the commander in charge of a checkpoint located in Newton the outskirts of Waterloo, said that on Friday 24 April, he received a letter conveying his indefinite suspension from the force on allegations of insubordination.
Kargbo told Politico that his only crime was daring to refuse permission to a vehicle supposedly carrying “an influential individual” to pass through his checkpoint during curfew hours. He said neither the vehicle nor its occupants had any permit – or PASS – to let them through.
He said the vehicle had arrived at the checkpoint on Sunday, 12th April at 11pm, three hours into the inter-district lockdown and nationwide curfew imposed by President Julius Maada Bio.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that many other vehicles had been stopped at the checkpoint because of the regulations which had just come into force.
Insp. Kargbo said that upon the arrival of the said vehicle, two security guards came down and approached him and his colleagues, demanding to be given way.
Kargbo said the guards insisted that they be allowed pass through even without a pass. He said that at that point his officers and the military personnel stationed at the checkpoint decided to check the vehicle to know if any senior state official was onboard with permission to let through.
According to him, they only identified the owner of the sport-betting company, Mercury International, whom he called Max, a lady, the driver and another guard.
He said that moments later the two guards handed him a phone to speak to an “unidentified” person who ordered him to let the vehicle through.
“By then tension had already heightened at the checkpoint with other drivers protesting that they should also be allowed to pass through if this vehicle was allowed to pass,” Kargbo narrated.
The police commander said that he refused to take the orders given on the phone and instead kept everyone at the checkpoint until the next morning when the curfew was over.
His actions did not go without a consequence.
"Later on, I was called and told that a report had been filed against me at the CDIID [an internal police complaint tribunal] by the Internal Affairs Minister for not letting through the Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources”, Kargbo said. He denied that the said minister, Foday Rado Yokie, had been onboard the vehicle, saying: “When the military personnel [at the checkpoint] and I had looked inside the vehicle that night, it was Max who was in there and a lady, plus the driver and a security. And we told them to wait till morning".
Politico contacted the Police headquarters in Freetown to know how they could have reached the decision to suspend Inspector Kargbo over the issue. The Spokesman for the Sierra Leone Police, Brima Kamara, declined to comment beyond saying that he was still researching about the incident and could only respond on Tuesday, 28 April – some four days later.
When contacted, Max, whose full name is Maxim Brandwain, confirmed that he was in the vehicle at the center of the controversy at the checkpoint. He also confirmed that they arrived at the checkpoint at around 11pm, just as the police commander had indicated.
Max however insisted that he did have a PASS with him, contrary to Inspector Kargbo’s claim. He said that in spite of that, the police officer refused to listen to his security men.
Max denied that he was in the vehicle with a lady, noting that that he was there with the Minister of Mines, Rado Yokie, as well as the minister’s police guard and the driver. He said the minister was so angry that he couldn’t bring himself to talk to the security officers manning the checkpoint.
"I came out of the vehicle after one hour. I even asked them why they wouldn’t also allow through some medical personnel who also had a pass and were carrying blood samples”, Max alleged. “We were not going to sit next to blood samples. [So] we returned to Kambia" he said, where they passed they night.
Max further alleged that the security personnel at the checkpoint didn't even come close to the vehicle to enable them ascertain who and who were onboard. He said even after an appeal by an unnamed Minister of State to let them through, the police commander didn’t budge.
Minister of Mines, Foday Rado Yokie said he was onboard the vehicle. “I was inside the vehicle – tired – lying in the back. Max was in front. I had asked him to accompany me to Kono on that day”, he told Politico. Unlike both the police commander and Max, the minister said the incident had happened “exactly at 9:13 PM – I can never forget that time”.
He went on: “My soldier [guard] even talked to the officer but he wouldn’t let us through. And I had my pass – which I can even send through to you – but he wouldn’t budge. I called Solution [the nickname of the minister of internal affairs Edward Soloku] telling him about the logjam but even he could not persuade the policeman on the phone to let us through,” Minister Yokie said.
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