By Francis H. Murray
The Independent Police Complaint Board (IPCB) has commenced preliminary investigations into the conduct of security personnel who fired live bullets at protesters in the Northern city of Makeni over the weekend. Five people died and at nine others were injured during the skirmishes.
An IPCB release on Monday states that the incident was caused by an attempt by the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) to temporarily relocate a 1.65 megawatts thermal generator to the airport town of Lungi which had gone without electricity supply for months.
According to Amadu Femoh Sesay, Public Relations Officer of the IPCB, it is not yet clear whether it was the police or the military that did the shooting, something which the investigation will look to establish.
‘‘We are yet to ascertain who and how many discharged firearms. That’s why we are conducting preliminary investigation and the outcome will lead to a full blown investigation. Everything for now is a mere allegation,’’ he told Politico in an interview on Monday.
IPCB is an independent statutory body responsible to conduct investigations in response to complaints from the public against police officers, and is under the direct supervision of the Internal Affairs Ministry.
It is not uncommon in Sierra Leone for officers to shoot at civilians during protests. The latest comes in the wake of recent disturbances Tombo where two people were also killed.
In February this year, the IPCB cleared of any wrongdoing a police officer who shot a civilian at the residence of the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Lahai Lawrence Leema.
In what many people describe as high handedness on the part of the police, the Makeni incident has once again attracted criticism from the public against the conduct of the police in the handling of protests and demonstrations.
Youths who were involved in the protest have also been condemned.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
