By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
One person, Moiniwo Kanneh has been left in a state of comatose and another, Gibrilla Timbo with his left ear chopped off after clashes this week between police and motorbike riders in Pujehun town, with soldiers joining in. It followed two days of clashes on Tuesday and Wednesday after police arrested an unlicensed motorbike taxi otherwise called Okada. The police local unit commander, Superintendent Tamba Richard Seddu told Politico that at about 1:30 pm on Tuesday a group of bike riders went to the police station with an unconscious colleague of theirs with blood on him. The riders alleged that he had been beaten up by three policemen one of whom they identified as police constable Williams. Based on his “critical condition”, the local police boss said, he immediately ordered that he be taken to the government hospital before looking into the allegations, saying he even paid the hospital bill. Superintendent Seddu also said that whilst at the hospital another rider named Samai Kanneh was also rushed there after he had been allegedly beaten by police. He said that while he was dealing with both situations he received a phone call that his men had come under attack by ordinary residents and some bike riders. According to him, when he and a cross section of some members of the District Security Committee arrived at the police station, they also came under a barrage of stones being pelted at them and they had to run for cover. He alleged that some of the windows were broken which he said forced the paramilitary OSD troops to fire teargas. He quoted the second in command at the 14th military brigade in Pujehun as saying that police constable Williams was brutalised in his presence forcing him to call on his soldiers to intervene. Civil society chairman, Ibrahim Swarray totally condemned the actions of the police and called for peaceful coexistence. He said that in his presence some policemen fired live rounds in the air saying he counted three. He said elders in the town took the spent bullets and shells to the police station. He called for “proper justice” to prevail in the matter. For his part the task force chairman in charge of the Bike Riders’ Park Number One referred to the incident as “an unnecessary damage” to people and a disturbance of the peace. Philip Koroma told Politico that the police had first arrested the bike and taken it to their station and returned to arrest the rider. He said that since Tuesday their colleague Moiniwo Kanneh had not been able to talk due to “police brutality”, something he said was worrisome to them. © Politico 26/09/13
