By: Thaimu Bai Sesay
Following recent trends, depict a situation of persistent perpetration of violence against certain individuals in some communities, in the guise of exercising justice, the Sierra Leone police has on the 16 August 2023 in a public notice expressed strong warning against perpetrators of such illegal activities.
The Sierra Leone Police noted that the violent acts those perpetrators considered as a form of exercising justice had the tendency to transform into extra-judicial killings of those suspected thieves or miscreants in some local communities. The SLP therefore considered those activates as actions capable of murder and a miscarriage of justice.
The Sierra Leone Police went on reminding everyone that mob or jungle justice has no place in any decent society, considering its serious and far-reaching implications that are not advisable for the peace, safety and security of the state. The Police strongly condemned mob justice in Sierra Leone, saying it is out-rightly intolerable, referencing the relevant law which stated that no person has the right to unreasonably and unjustifiably take the life of any person, either suspected to have committed a crime or about doing so.
“It is to be noted that Section 23(4) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act N0.6 of 1991) presumes anyone to be innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. The SLP would therefore like to reiterate that the only statutory body authorised to investigate suspected criminals is the Police,” noted in the public notice.
The Sierra Leone Police clearly stated in the notice that individuals who were engaged or had been engaged in acts viewed as mob justice in various communities across the country should immediately stop and refrain from doing so henceforth. The SLP admonished perpetrators to understand that those actions are not only hostile but barbaric. The Police continued to warm those involved to either refrain from such activities or be prepared to face the full force of the law. The Sierra Leone encouraged everyone to report any incident of suspected or arrested criminals to the nearest police station for investigations and subsequent prosecutions as the law prescribed.