By Mustapha Kamara
A police constable in the paramilitary OSD division of the Sierra Leone police has complained of “the brutality" of his colleague police officers allegedly meted out on him.
PC 15863, Edwin Kangaju, currently on deployment at the NPA sub-station (2) at Kingharman Road in Freetown told Politico that he was “severely beaten by my own colleagues. My mobile phone and some money were also stolen from me”. He said bullets in his riffle were also disarmed.
Explaining his ordeal, Kangaju said some officers from the central division, who had been patrolling the King Harman Road area, entered the power station around midnight on the night of Saturday 23 August and accused the workers there of harbouring a prostitute at which time he said he was in the restroom.
At his arrival, he said, he saw the patrol officers beating an NPA worker, alleging that they dragged him out of the power station.
“I tried to calm them. I also tried to explain to them that the NPA workers were on duty but the situation became uncontrollable for me”, the police constable explained. He went on that a certain inspector Sankoh ordered the officers to disarm him” adding that the men “rushed at me stole my phone, money that happened to be my salary for August. They also took all the bullets in my gun”. He said they also made away with computers and other valuables from the station.
Kangaju said that he was rescued by his boss, ASP Ansumana Koroma “who sent some officers from the Brookfields police station” and that one of the NPA workers was arrested but was later released.
“It is my responsibility to protect the NPA workers at the sub-station and that was what l was trying to do”, the police constable said and expressed disappointment at the behaviour of his colleagues.
Head of OSD headquarters, ASP Ansumana Koroma, aka “Day Break” told Politico that a report on the matter had already been written and tendered to various authorities within the SLP for further action. He described the incident as “unfortunate”. He however revealed that an investigation into the matter was underway “and justice will be done accordingly”.
(C) Politico 26/08/14
