By Mabinty Kamara
A thirty-seven year old petty trader is nursing wounds she sustained after an encounter with police officers led by LUC Memunatu Conteh along Kissy road in Freetown. The officers were taking part in an operation to clear traders from the footpath of the road.
According to the trader, Mariama Jalloh, a fish ball trader said she had finished selling her fish and was merely standing around when LUC Memuna Conteh and he officers arrived. She said "I only went there to help my colleague traders to remove their wares from the footpath when I encountered LUC Memuna who beat me with a big rod causing me to sustain this wound on my arm". Eyewitnesses confirmed Mariama Jalloh's statement and said when they raised an alarm after she was wounded, the police "jumped into their vehicle with the confiscated wares and left the scene". The trader was given initial treatment at a nearby pharmacy.
Neither LUC Memuna nor her officers agreed to speak to our reporter who witnessed the incident.
(C) Politico 29/05/14
