The Revenue Coordinator of the Freetown City Council Osman Samura has disclosed that an investigative team is to be set up to look into allegations of beatings, harassment and theft of the sum of Le 2,500,000 by Local Tax collectors at the Calaba Town checkpoint.
The group allegedly on Friday 4th September 2009 mobbed and inflicted body injuries on a mechanic Malikie Bah and his apprentice Abdul Rahman Barrie both resident at Yams Farm and some other people within the same area.
According to Mr. Bah he was driving home when he met a local tax check point comprising a number of men who purported to be Metropolitan policemen. They asked them for their Local Tax receipts which they produced and they were asked drive away.
Mr. Bah told Awoko that a string that they had used to erect the checkpoint got tangled in his cars’ wiper and when he alighted from his vehicle to disentangle the string, the men allegedly pounced on them with blows and kicks and sustained a serious knee injury in the process.
His apprentice he said was lying in anguish since he cannot withstand the terrible ordeal.
As if that was not enough, they illegally jumped into his car and drove it to the Freetown City Council.
Upon arrival at the Council he submitted all his documents but the authorities wanted to put him behind bars.
He further alleged that when his car was handed over to him he discovered that the sum of Le2, 500,000 (two million five hundred thousand Leones) which he had hidden underneath his cars’ seat before he left it at the Councils’ security post, was missing.
Another man 66 year old Mohamed Sannoh alleged that he was manhandled and handcuffed around the same Calaba Town area while he was trying to ask the reason why his son was handcuffed and being dragged about.
According to his statement, he said the local tax collector told him his son ran away while he was asked to produce his local tax.
He said he son is a mechanic and often sleeps in a garage, adding that his son ran away to take his local tax ID which he had forgotten in the garage.
He further alleged that while he was trying to calm down the tax collectors to allow his son go to the garage and collect his local tax ID, they pounced upon him handcuffed and beat him up severely and stole his mobile phone which cost 500,000 Leones.
By Poindexter Sama
ADVERTISEMENT