Speaking on behalf of his colleagues, a member of a clique group, calling itself Member of Blood (MOB) yesterday pledged their commitment towards leading a peaceful life in the country.
Addressing a cross section of the press at the Anti-Violence Movement Sierra Leone (AVMSL) office at Berwick Street in Freetown, members of the group said they are tired of living in the street and that they want to start living better lives.
“I have been living as a gangster for fifteen years now and I have not benefitted anything yet. People usually come to us and request that we harm others on their behalf, they give us money and we do the job. There is absolutely nothing we have benefitted from these gangs,” explained Lamrana Conteh, one of the members of MOB.
He said they are skilled trained in various works of life, but since there was no job for them to do they decided to involve in violent activities.
“We want to be responsible men since we now have children to take care of. We therefore want to make sure they enjoy a peaceful country,” Conteh said and called on the government to help them secure jobs and to also release their friends who are presently serving jail sentences at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre as a result of their involvement in violence crime.
Director of the AVMSL, Bernard Conteh, in his address, called on the police to exercise high level of responsibility. He expressed dissatisfaction on the manner in which police officers execute their duties, stating that they are sometimes unprofessional. He furthered that the Sierra Leone police should look into the recruitment process as some of those recruited into the police force were once rivals to these boys and that they use the force as a platform for revenge.
He also urged community members of wherever these boys live to embrace them and support them in their rehabilitation process.
By Edna Smalle
Thursday November 19, 2015
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