By Foday Moriba Conteh
In the morning hours of the 29 April 2020 there was pandemonium at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre on Pademba Road in the West End of Freetown with some claiming that there has been a prison break. However, it clearly turned out to be that a fire incident inside the correctional centre has created the panic which inmates wanted to capitalize on to escape.
Such did not transpire as the Police and Military gallantly descended on the scene and tried to bring the situation under control but with some causalities including Prison Officer, being killed in the process. Some buildings within the Prison Yard such as the Reception, Stores, Hospital, the Vocational workshop were all burnt down. Several other infrastructure such as the Church and the Mosque were partially damaged.
In order to commemorate Sierra Leone’s Independence Day, President Julius Maada Bio announced the release of 235 prisoners nationwide on 27 April, but as yet there is no confirmation that they have been released.
In the wake of the unfortunate incident, Deputy Director of Amnesty International, West and Central Africa, Marta Colomer said:
“The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Freetown’s central prison on 28 April, causing alarm among people detained therein who live in severely cramped conditions. There have been some restrictive measures imposed by the authorities, including the prohibition of visits by their relatives. The riot shows that prisoners are becoming increasingly desperate at the Government’s inaction to protect their right to health. There must be a prompt, thorough, impartial and effective investigation into the reasons that led to the riot and the heavy-handed response from prison guards who used live ammunition.”
“Prisoners are concerned about getting enough food after the prohibition on visits, as well as the spread of the virus and their ability to take preventive measures against COVID-19,” the Deputy Director added.
“We are calling on the Sierra Leone authorities to put their promises to release hundreds of detainees into action – unless overcrowding is eased and conditions of detention improved; there is a risk of further riots and infections. They should release all those held in pre-trial detention and consider the release of other prisoners at risk, such as older people and those with underlying medical conditions,” it was recommended
To assess the damage caused by the unknown fire disaster the Vice President of Sierra Leone, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh conducted an inspection tour of the Sierra Leone Correctional Services facilities.
The Vice President, who is also Chairman of the Correctional Services Council, visited the facilities to get a first-hand impression of the damage.
The Vice President was accompanied by senior government officials, including but not limited to the Ministers of Information and Internal Affairs, the Deputy Minister of Information, the Head of the Strategic Communications Unit at State House and senior members of the security agencies.
Making a short statement after completing a conducted tour of the facilities in which he got a first-hand assessment of the destruction caused to the premises, Vice President Juldeh Jalloh noted with dismay that the altercation had caused extensive damage to crucial facilities like the administrative blocks, the workshops, some cells and other structures. He however stated that despite the wanton destruction done to the administrative building, records of prisoners and of the centre were intact as the authorities had long digitalized the record keeping system.
Vice President Juldeh Jalloh assured citizens that investigations into the issue had been launched and promised that it would be swift and that its outcome would be accordingly made public. He acknowledged the fatalities that emanated from the fracas and urged all to be calm and to go about their normal businesses. He said that Government has put together some progressive plans for the centre and that those plans would be rolled out in due course with a view to changing the face of the centre and to help transform inmates into productive citizens.
The visit of the Vice President illustrates how committed the New Direction Government is in treating every security issue with the utmost seriousness that it deserves. With President Bio nearing conclusion of his self-isolation, there is every reason for him not to be worried while at home for the simple reason that he has a go-getter of a Vice President.
Freetown’s prison was originally built for a capacity of less than 300 prisoners but today it has more than 1,000 inmates.
