Several residents of the hilly, eastern community of Mount Aureol have expressed fears over the escalating spate of violence gripping the area.
On Wednesday 3rd February 2021, eyewitness account revealed that youths from the Black Lane area descended on Mount Aureol and went on a rampage pelting stones on houses including the Local Chief’s, vandalising the windscreens of vehicles, hauling abusive language and terrorising residents.
The Operations Support Division (OSD) Commander, Superintendent Ansumana Koroma of Ross Road police station, Eastern Region headquarter, said that they have arrested 29 people including four females, seized eight cutlasses and several knives, scissors and other dangerous offensive weapons from suspects.
He said although youth violence in Mount Aureol has been ongoing for some time now, the police will not allow people to take the law into their own hands. “I will not stand to see people jeopardise the peace and security of that community,” Superintendent Koroma (aka Daybreak) averred.
Residents who spoke under condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from the thugs, described a war-like zone atmosphere. “The Black Lane youths came to Mount Aureol around 11:00am–12:00pm, broke car windows and stoned people’s houses. They were well armed with cutlasses, stones, bottles and other offensive weapons. The Mount Aureol youths also mobilised themselves and went on the offensive to repel their attack, and retaliate against them,” a man said.
“When the police came, they focused on the Mount Aureol youths. Several teargas canisters were fired into residential homes forcing women and children to run outside for safety. The police were entering people’s houses and rounding up suspected ‘clique boys’ and anyone they thought was involved in the skirmishes. Innocent people were arrested and taken to the Ross Road police station,” another alleged.
Meanwhile, a Community Security Volunteer (CSV) said all the violence stemmed from a land-grabbing conflict that continues to plague the community for months now. “It was created by the now sacked Minister of Lands and Country Planning, Dennis Sandy and his Deputy. Pastor Chambers and the community residents are locked in an intense battle for ownership of parcels of land on the highway near the Hillside Bye Pass Road under construction by the CSE company. These different factions are using clique boys to secure and settle scores for them in a bid to foster their land-grabbing intension,” he noted.
Another resident, Idrissa (not his real name) said, “The community is very tense right now. A Jeep with registration number AHI-924 was vandalised by the fighting thugs and a lady lost her Le1.5 million mobile phone.”
The Chairman of the Police Partnership Board, Zone 16, Eastern Police Division, Alpha Bangura said the community is divided at the moment. “The police had actually called the conflicting youths to peace building and conflict resolution meetings. They all believed these meetings had solved the problem; only for it to reoccur. For the past two days my child did not go to school, for fear of more violent confrontations,” he explained.
Meanwhile, OSD Commander Koroma has assured that the investigation is ongoing and those found culpable will face the full penalty of the law. DT/08/02/2021
By david.thoronka@awokonewspaper.sl