By Amin Kef Sesay
Citizens across Sierra Leone are of the view that it is unfortunate that even though the latest report by the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, which pointed at police heavy-handedness in managing the Institute of Public Administration Management (IPAM) students’ protest at their Tower Hill campus in Freetown on Monday 12 April, 2021, there is yet again another incident involving a police officer shooting dead an unarmed, innocent civilian at Hastings.
It could be recalled that a fatal shooting at Hastings village, east of Freetown, left at least one person dead on Thursday’s 15th April 2021.
As we went to press, the SLP issued a press release confirming the unfortunate incident and identifying the deceased as Alpha Kargbo, who reportedly was killed over a land dispute by an OSD officer.
According to the video circulated on social media – it appears the young man was shot at least twice. Eye-witnesses say there was an argument between the OSD officer and the deceased over a portion of land both men are laying claim to. However, it is unclear what ignited or incensed the OSD officer into firing his weapon twice; an incident which was described by eye-witnesses as deliberate, because had he only fired one shot, it could have been taken as a mistake, but two shots in almost rapid succession cannot be described as a mistake.
All that transpired at the scene of crime was revealed to the world through the use of a mobile phone. Someone with a mobile phone videoed the scene as it unfolded and released it on social media. This could not have happened without a mobile phone.
However, the government is proposing to make into law the Cybercrime Bill, which critics say will curtail citizens’ right to use their mobile phones to record and share their experiences, as well as images and public scenes that are of public interest, and this might impinge on civil liberties. But it is a fact that this story was corroborated by a short video recording of the event by an onlooker.
But questions are now being asked once again about heavy-handedness of the police and the fatal use of guns at every opportunity. There are now calls from the citizenry for the sacking of the Inspector General of Police.
According to the police statement, the personnel responsible for the fatal shooting has been suspended from duty and placed on administrative and criminal investigations. Thirteen people were arrested and the police officers named in the fatal shooting were also arrested and are helping police with their investigations.
The SLP is however appealing to the public to remain calm and trust it to conduct fair and expeditious investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, there has been resounding condemnation of Sierra Leone Police brutality, following Monday’s April 12, 2021 protest by students at the IPAM campus, which became violent, as heavily armed police officers fired tear-gas and smoke bombs.
A young female student – Fatmata Binta Jalloh, who was protesting for her right, was allegedly manhandled (beaten, molested, and stripped almost naked) by police officers and arrested together with four other graduating students of IPAM, prompting calls for the sacking of the police officers involved, and the immediate release from detention of Fatmata Binta Jalloh and four other students who feel disadvantaged and were left with no option but to protest against what they referred to as “unfair” treatment by the IPAM administration. According to them, they have completed all the necessary requirements for them to graduate, and the university has accepted some of these claims.
The matter is now before the Magistrate presiding over Court No.1 and the case has been adjourned to Monday, 19th April, 2021.
On April 13, 2021, the country’s Human Rights Commission (HRCSL) published its report into the violence, calling for an investigation and the sacking of police officers found wanting of professional misconduct. This is what the report says:
The Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) is concerned about the spontaneous violence that erupted on 12th April, 2021 between protesting students and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) at the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) Campus following the publication of a partial list of would-be graduates published by the college administration on the said date.
As a statutory institution mandated to protect and promote human rights of all in Sierra Leone, HRCSL has been monitoring both mainstream and social media and has subsequently engaged key stakeholders to fully grasp the factors that led to the protest.
The HRCSL undertook a fact-finding mission to the college campus (IPAM), the Central Police Station and the Kingtom Police Hospital. Engagements were held with the Students Union Executive and other students who are not necessarily members of the Student Union Government, the Deputy Registrar, Examination Officer, the Senior Assistant Finance Officer, Lockup and Crime Officers at Central Police Station, and the Medical Superintendent at the Kingtom Police Hospital. HRCSL also engaged detained students at the Central Police Station and visited one female student at the Kingtom Police Hospital.
During their engagements, the HRCSL noted that a partial list of would-be graduands was published by the college administration which contained about 350 names when over a thousand students are expected to graduate; that following the protest, a second list was published later in the afternoon but was also found to be faulty as students who had left the University were also included on the list while the actual students were not listed; that there were issues of missing grades and also reference examinations which were in fact only conducted on Saturday with only four days left to the proposed graduation ceremony scheduled for the 14th April, 2021. In addition, there were issues of outstanding reference exams to be taken; that there were students who were yet to fulfil their financial obligations with the University; that there were insufficient academic gowns in supply by the college administration which some students had already paid for and this further infuriated the students.
It also noted that the students failed to exhaustively engage the relevant stakeholders in the university and then took the laws into their hands; that the police on the other hand failed to apply professionalism in handling the situation on their arrival at the scene. For instance, a female student was seen manhandled by several police officers as captured in a video widely circulated on social media; that five students were arrested and detained including the female student mentioned above; that there were delays in the publication of sessional and final results which created uncertainty on the part of the students as to their status / level in their respective courses of study; that there were also delays in the verification of entry requirements / results and that the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) had agreed with the Academic staff of the University to improve the conditions of service of lecturers with an increment of 75% to be applied incrementally effective end of April 2021.
The HRCSL however recommended that the SLP should immediately release all the students in their custody on bail pending any investigations; that time and again, HRCSL calls on the SLP to be always professional in their line of duty and refrain from using excessive force in quelling down riots and protests; that extreme care be exercised in dealing with women and girls at all times in such situations; that the SLP should immediately institute an internal investigation into the conduct of those police officers who were seen in the video manhandling a female student and if found wanton should immediately be dismissed from the SLP and this should be communicated to the public.
According to the HRCSL, students should use existing structures within and without the university (e.g. HRCSL) in seeking redress and should always resist any temptation to take the law into their hands. To this end, students are admonished to read Section 13 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 with specific reference to paragraph (j) which states as follows: “Every citizen shall … render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.”
It added that students should treat their academic work with the seriousness it deserves and endeavor to meet their financial obligations on time, which they normally sign up to upon admission.
In light of the findings and recommendations above, the HRCSL unreservedly condemned every form of violence and unprofessional conduct that have the potential to undermine the enjoyment of fundamental human rights, as enshrined in the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991 and other regional and international instruments.
HRCSL called on the police in particular to exercise restraints as professionals whenever engaging the public as required by ‘UN Guiding Principles on the Use of Firearms’ and also the ‘UN Code of Conducts for Law Enforcement Officials’.
