By: Problyn J. Alpha
Allegations have emerged against police officers deployed at the former Koidu Limited Mining Company concession in Kono District, following investigations into the death of Yusuf Boima.
Boima, a resident of Tankoro Chiefdom in Koidu City, was allegedly shot dead by an unidentified police officer believed to be attached to the Tankoro Police Divisional Headquarters. The officer is reportedly still at large.
A family friend of the deceased, Ibrahim Vandy, claimed that some police officers stationed at the former mining concession are involved in illegal mining activities. According to him, these officers allegedly employ groups of young men to mine on their behalf instead of carrying out their constitutional duties.
Vandy stated that he was once involved in such activities but withdrew due to what he described as inhumane treatment meted out to the workers by the officers.
Recounting the incident, Vandy alleged that the officer, identified only as “AJ,” initially shot at a bag of gravel the deceased was carrying on his head. After the bag fell, the officer allegedly fired a second shot, hitting Boima in the neck. The victim reportedly fell to the ground, crying out that a police officer had shot him.
Vandy further explained that in the course of the incident, the officer dropped his firearm and fled the scene on a motorbike. When he (Vandy) reached the victim, he said Boima was lying in a pool of blood, struggling for his life, and asked that his mother be told that a police officer had shot him.
He added that he urged others present to report the matter, along with the abandoned firearm, to the Tankoro Police Station, emphasizing that the law applies to everyone.
According to Vandy, the deceased was a quiet young man who had only visited the former mining concession for the first time in search of gravel. He also alleged that the officer known as “AJ” had previously boasted about killing someone at the same site without facing consequences.
Vandy warned members of the public to avoid the former Koidu Limited Mining Company concession, describing it as a dangerous area for civilians.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain a response from the Sierra Leone Police at the Tankoro Division were unsuccessful, as officers were reportedly engaged in ongoing investigations into the alleged killing.