By Alpha Abu
The Internal Affairs Minister David Panda Noah and senior Military and Police officers have visited the Hastings home of Alpha Kargbo alias Wadada who was fatally shot by an armed Police officer last Thursday 15 April 2021. The delegation which also included the Military Chief of Defence Staff General Sullay Sesay, Inspector General of Police Ambrose Michael Sovula, Abdulai Caulker from the Office of National Security (ONS) and other senior Police officers all expressed their condolences to the grieving family of Kargbo.
The Internal Affairs Minister said President Julius Maada Bio and his government were saddened over the loss of life and assured relatives of Kargbo that those found culpable will face justice. He appealed for peace to be maintained in the community as the authorities continue their investigations into the matter.
Police boss Sovula expressed dismay over the incident.. Sovula said those officers who were involved in the incident were never sent by the Police leadership but acted on their own. He apologised to the family of Kargbo. But he cautioned the youths in the area not to take the law into their hands. He said he had once lived in Hastings and felt deeply hurt by events that day in a community that he said he still considers himself part of the community.
Ramatu Kargbo a sister of the victim in her response said the woman Police officer at the centre of the incident and the officer who pulled the trigger must face justice. She expressed the family’s appreciation for the visit by government officials.
Meanwhile the Sierra Leone Police in a released statement appealed for calm. The police say four officers suspected of involvement in the incident have been suspended from duty and were being investigated.
According to sources, Kargbo and woman Inspector Douglas had been locked in a protracted land feud at Hastings village that had reached the courts. On Thursday 15th April 2021 reports say Kargbo’s younger brother had gone to the contested land site at around 11 am when a group of armed police officers suddenly arrived in a truck and ordered him to leave the place. An argument ensued and the officers then tried to force him into their truck. It was during that moment Kargbo emerged and protested the intended arrest of his brother. An armed police officer from the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the force then reportedly shot Kargbo.
He was rushed to the Choithram hospital but died later in the day. The incident attracted more onlookers and as news of Kargbo’s shooting spread in the community, irate young men jumped into the streets setting up barricades and burning tyres.
Traffic flow through the main Waterloo highway and Hastings junction close to the toll gate was temporarily halted as youths engaged in running battles with Police.
Police reinforcements were called in from Ross Road Division. Residents claim the police fired live rounds and tear gas. They accused the police of using excessive force and of indiscriminately firing tear gas which seriously affected ordinary people including children in schools.
The Police also released another statement over the brutal assault of a female student of the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) early last week. The officer who could be seen in a video that went viral on social media, beating the woman according to Police has been “identified, arrested, suspended and placed in custody”. The Police say there was “prima facie evidence of professional misconduct perpetrated by the Police officer”. The matter has been forwarded to CDIID the disciplinary arm of the police for further investigations.
Prior to the convocation ceremony of IPAM, some students who felt aggrieved for being denied the opportunity to graduate as a result of unresolved academic issues with the college administration, rioted in the campus. The police were called in to put the situation under control but the video footage of the assault on the young woman caused public outrage.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online 23/04/21
