Assistant Inspector General of police Chris Charley has confirmed that 3 people died and 13 injured were brought to Freetown following riots in Lungi Thursday.
AIG Charley explained that he had visited the area along with mines and parliamentary affairs Minister Alpha Kanu, the AIG OSD and the Lungi, Garrison Commander.
He stated that Minister Alpha Kanu addressed the people and asked them to exercise patience and not take the law in their own hands. He said they visited the hospital and saw the three dead and they brought back with them to Freetown 13 people who were now receiving medical treatment.
AIG Charley could not comment on how the people died saying that this can only be proved by a post mortem examination.
Questioned on the situation in the township when they left, the senior police officer said it was unfortunate but the people were insisting that they do not want the police in their area any more. Therefore he said they have invoked a marquee handing over the area to the military, and withdrawing all police personnel to the barracks.
Earlier speaking on the phone to Police spokesman Superintendent Ibrahim Samura who was in Lungi, he also confirmed that clashes between civilians and police in Rotifunk, Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Port Loko district had turned ugly with police officers suffering injuries.
Residents on the other hand say that at least 7 people were dead and over 11 injured when police opened fire with live ammunition on protesting youths who had threatened to burn down the police station saying they do not want any police in their area any more.
Reports say that armed robbers raided the Rotifunk and Masoila area on Tuesday night leading on to Wednesday morning, succeeding in stealing a lot of properties from the residents. The residents say that some of the properties allegedly stolen were discovered in a police station and this led to an angry crowd of youths storming the police station demanding that the police must leave their area because they alleged the police officers were the armed robbers.
However speaking to the police spokesman Supt. Samura he explained that there were reports of armed robbery in the area and the residents were frustrated that they were not getting enough police response to the spate of armed robberies.
Therefore he said the youths allegedly formed themselves into a vigilante group erecting illegal road blocks and burning vehicle tyres saying they were going to protect themselves against the armed robbers.
Supt. Samura says that by 3am Thursday night a police patrol encountered some of these youths in one of the illegal road blocks and arrested and detained them.
In the morning he explained the Councilor and the youth leader made representations to the police and the youths were released. He said the arrest of the youths apparently did not go down well with the residents and they resorted to attacking the police station in a mob-like fashion wielding “dangerous weapons”.
Supt. Samura alleged that police officers living in the Masoila and Rotifunk area had fled their homes with their families because the residents are up in arms against them. He referred to the situation there by night fall as an “uneasy calm”.
By Kelvin Lewis
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