By Umaru Fofana
Irate youths have burned down the police station in Barmoi Luma, following restrictions by police to stem the spread of Ebola in the Kambia District, north of Sierra Leone.
Assistant Inspector General of Police, Foday Dabor, confirmed last night that the incident followed violent scenes earlier between the youths and his men on the ground.
Hospital sources told Politico they received patients with gunshot wounds, two of them in a serious condition - one with a bullet in his head and the other in the leg.
The police Local Unit Commander in the district, Superintendent Francis Hazeley said following the recent death from Ebola of Mariatu Jalloh who took ill while in Barmoi, some areas were quarantined.
He said 43 people who came into contact with her were still on the run, prompting the authorities to restrict the large gatherings such as is occasioned by the open market Barmoi is known for.
“To stem the spread of the disease from those missing contacts, assuming they are already showing signs of the disease, we agreed with the local authorities that the open market (Luma) here be suspended while we search for the missing people”, Hazeley said.
He said that just as they had deployed policemen around the market place on Tuesday morning, “a large group of youths attacked our men…They even attacked the police station twice and damaged it, injuring six policemen. We fired teargas to disperse them and arrested six of the rioters”.
Even though the police superintendent denied any bullets were fired, everybody else contacted, including health workers, said people were shot - and Politico has seen photos of spent bullets taken on the scene.
(C) Politico 28/01/16
