By Mustapha Sesay
Chairman
of the main opposition SLPP, John Oponjo Benjamin, has accused the
Sierra Leone police of arresting and intimidating their supporters as
the country draws closer to the 17 November elections.
He
told pressmen in Freetown on Wednesday that whenever confrontations
had occurred between supporters, both would naturally be subjected to
investigations but claimed that that was not when the case had
involved SLPP and APC faithful.
“The
police will only arrest the SLPP supporters,” he alleged, noting
that a similar situation had occurred at Fourah Bay where eleven of
their supporters were arrested and were presently being held at the
Pademba Road Prisons, according to him.
Benjamin
claimed that when APC were rallying in his home town of Segbwema “no
police officers were deployed in the township but when it was the day
of the SLPP to rally in the same town, a truck load of police
officers was deployed to intimidate and prevent our supporters from
showcasing our candidates.”
Mr.
Benjamin went on to say that “our supporters are restricted from
using certain streets in Freetown whenever we have rallies, Sani
Abacha Street being one of them”. He raised concerns over the use
of armed military officers “in the guise of the Military Assistance
to Civil Power - MAC-P” adding that the country was not at war or
in a situation that warranted the use of military personnel. He
cautioned that the use of armed military officers would send a wrong
signal to voters.
Responding
to the allegations against police, head of media Assistant
Superintendent Ibrahim Samura said the police only arrested those who
were law breakers and criminals.
“We
are not targeting political party supporters but criminals and
hoodlums,” he said adding that for the sake of justice and peace,
politicians should stop giving colour to criminals.
He
went on to say that those who were hell bent on perpetrating violence
would be made to face the law when arrested.
