Chairman of the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Youth and Sports, Hon. Nuru Deen Sankoh Yillah has called on the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) Force to be mindful when dealing with pupils and students whenever there is a conflict.
Commenting on the way pupils were treated by the Police during the just concluded Inter Secondary School Sports Competition, he said that the Police did not handle the situation as was expected from them.
He pointed out that having watched the video footage screened by ABC-TV, he felt so disgusted for the children that have left their homes to support their schools being treated like “slaves”.
“Even when some of the pupils collapsed or were injured there was no rescuer to take them to a nearby hospital leaving the pupils to take their colleagues to hospitals”, he said.
“These children are our today, tomorrow and future leaders … being treated like this I think will lead to chaos between the Police and the pupils, Hon Sankoh Yillah” said.
He recalled the dispute which happened between the Police and pupils of the Saint Edwards Secondary school which led to the damaging of school properties.
The chairman doffed his hat to the organizers of the competition and urged them to improve on areas of time and to proper monitor schools taking part in the competition.
Furthermore, he called on parents to also monitor their children on what they wear when leaving their homes and the types of friends they mingle with.
To the pupils, he appealed to them to take the police as peacemakers and not as enemies.
The chairman further called on the pupils to put on their best behaviors whenever they are in and out of their schools as the public expects much from them.
Nuru Deen Sankoh Yillah also called on the government not to ban the competition as it is the only way pupils will show case their talents on the different sports disciplines.
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