Sierra Leoneans are losing confidence by the day in the ability of the Moigbeh-Al Sheikh cabal at Police Headquarters to provide efficient and professional policing services for the people of Sierra Leone.
Just a few weeks ago, two reports from human rights organizations had indicted the Sierra Leone Police for the unprofessional way and manner they have policed the March elections. The Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone and other Civil Society organizations had even called on the United Nations to ban the Force from participating in Peace Keeping Missions. They have based their claims on the unprofessional nature of the institution back home where it is continuously accused of human rights abuses and above all continuously serving as tools for politicians.
The Police was also indicted by almost all of the Election Observations Missions in the March polls for their unnecessary imposition of a vehicle restriction ban on polling day. Many have described the ban as an attempt by the then ruling APC to stifle movement of people in opposition strongholds. They were also criticized for intimidating the then SLPP flag bearer (Rtd. Julius Maada Bio) few hours after polling started with the pretext that the Rtd Brigadier had set up machines in Goderich outside Freetown to hack the National Electoral Commission system. This bogus claim was dismissed by international observers present at the scene who were of the opinion that the action of the Police was largely provocative and could have led to chaos and total disruption of the elections which had started just few hours earlier .
It was very clear going into the polls that the Moigbeh-Al-Sheikh cabal was neither professional nor politically neutral to deliver policing services to the people of Sierra Leone. This point has been echoed several times by President Bio who is of the firm opinion that the Police should detached itself from politics and serve the people diligently. He has expressed this concern in almost all the meetings he has held with the Police, but alas the Police leadership keeps on taking actions that continue to put them on the spotlight for the wrong reasons.
Their latest move to unconstitutionally order politicians mentioned in the Government Transition Report to surrender their passports to the Head of the Criminal Investigations Department and also urging their Regional Commanders to ensure that these politicians are prevented from travelling out of the country is another show of disgrace and unprofessionalism by the Police hierarchy. How can a whole Police force act on the mere recommendations of a governance transition set up by the President? Every right thinking Sierra Leonean knows recommendations of such reports usually receives the endorsement of cabinet through Cabinet a white paper. As we all know, President Bio has received the report but has not uttered a word towards endorsing the recommendations contained therein. So how can the Moigbeh and Al-Sheikh Cabal unconstitutionally order the politicians mentioned in the report to surrender all their passports and further prevent them from travelling. The bogus memo to all Regional Commanders by the Inspector General of Police had even further threatened that failure on the part of these politicians to surrender their passports would lead to arrest. This is another attempt by the cabal at Police Headquarters to look good before the new administration. The order has no basis and this is where our so-called civil society should be coming in. Sober minded civil society organizations should be able to resist any attempts that have no basis as far as our laws books are concerned. It will be the APC today and it will be any other political party tomorrow, ’’what is good for the goose should be good for the gander’’.
It is crystal clear that the two have lost the moral high ground to serve in the new direction based on their past records leading to the elections. Such panic is now driving them to undertake more and more unconstitutional actions.This is with the understanding that, these actions will trigger the new regime to change their minds and allow them to continue to serve at the helm of affairs in the Police. Since the advent of the new direction the Moigbeh-Al-Sheikh cabal has initiated a lot of promotions, posting and transfers which has been described both within and outside the force to have got some political flavor. I want to distance myself from such claims for the simple reason that most actions by the Police hierarchy are meant to make them look good before these politicians thereby further selfishly consolidating their positions.
If the Police will take unprofessional and politically bias decisions against the SLPP when they were in the opposition, why would one think that they would not do the same when the APC loses power. It is in this vain that the two ( Moigbeh and Al-Sheikh) should be shown the exit door as they have lost the moral high ground to provide policing services for the people of Sierra Leone. The Police has more fresh and young brains who should be given the chance to prove their mettle.