Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces belonging to the Benguema Training Center, outside Freetown, brought normal activities to a standstill in Waterloo on 24 December, 2018 when they physically attacked Police officers at Waterloo, Lumpa and Kissy Town Police stations with sticks, shovels, stones and knives.
Police sources at the Waterloo Police Division intimated this press that the Operations Police Commander for Waterloo Police Division, Assistant Superintendent of Police Akim Turay formerly of the Sierra Leone Army and head of former President Koroma’s security detail was conducting a routine Police operation at the densely populated Tombo Junction market, center of the town when his men had a confrontation with a military Captain in plain clothes.
The captain according to our source, had bulldozed the traffic and failed to respond to Police orders to move back so there would be a free flow of traffic.
As the confrontation continued, our source went on, ASP Akim who was in charge of the operation came to the scene and hit the bonnet of the Captain’s vehicle further instructing him to move his vehicle with a view to clear the already tense traffic situation that had clogged the Freetown,Tombo highway.
The captain refused to take the Police Orders and slapped Akim Turay. ASP Akim had no option but to immediately order the arrest of the Captain for Obstruction of Police Duties.
The Source furthered that, he was taken to Waterloo Police Station, where the Local Unit Commander, Superintendent Sylvester Kpovowa had immediately intervened to get both sides together to solve the impasse since the military Captain had disclosed that he was to wed that day and was already late to dress–up and attend the wedding service.
As this furore was going on, the Captain had already informed his colleague soldiers at Benguema Barracks that he had been arrested and taken to Waterloo Police Station and hence hundreds of soldiers on commercial motorbikes descended on the Waterloo, Lumpa and Kissy Town Police stations demanding to kill ASP Akim Turay.
The situation degenerated to a point that hundreds of soldiers in different civilian and mixed-up military fatigues cheered by hundreds of commercial bike riders and some civilian by- standers beat up every police officer they could lay hands on, pelting stones at window panes sporadically, vandalizing and destroying all property in all the offices of senior police officers as well carting away monies, laptops, other Police exhibits, commercial motorbikes under investigation for traffic and accident related matters and any valuable things they could lay hands on.
They even went as far as, physically using sticks, shovels cutlasses and knives to destroy the Command Vehicle of the Local Unit Commander, the Police Operations pick up van and the personal Jeep of ASP Akim Turay.
They opened up the cells in all three police stations after all the Police officers on duty had fled the scene in fear for their lives and released all suspects in custody including three who were in for murder.
ASP Akim Turay who was the target of the ruthless and disgraceful operation managed to escape for his life after wrestling with a number of soldiers who had attacked him with multiple wounds and a swollen back.
Police and Military authorities as well as Government Ministers including the Ministers of Internal Affairs and Defence had visited the scene a number of times since the incident occurred to assess the wanton destruction to Government property and physical damage to a number of Police officers.
A senior military Police attached at the Benguema Training Center has intimated nightwatch that dozens of soldiers are now in their custody helping them with the investigation and that more and more arrests will be made in the coming days depending where the investigation will have to lead them to.
Skirmishes between the Military and the Police in Sierra Leone are not new and military authorities have failed to show any commitment to end this act of impunity on the side of their military officers who always put up barbaric, lawless and irresponsible attitudes whenever they are in conflict with the law and the Police want to do their job.
A close source within the corridors of power has disclosed that the New Direction will want to use this particular incident to send a clear message to the military that this barbaric attitude has no place in the new dispensation.
Violence and lawlessness has increased under the new dispensation even many Sierra Leoneans voted the Rtd, Brigadier not because of his Free and Quality Education flagship project but with the conviction that he would use his military discipline to restore discipline in the country. This has not worked as we continue to hear of one lawless action after another claiming lives and property.