December 10, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
In a presser held on the 9th of December 2021 at the Police Headquarters, the Leadership of the Sierra Leone Police has expressed commitment to go hard on anybody who incites and obstructs the conduct of the Mid-Term Census or behalf contrary to the Statistics Act of 2002.
Addressing galaxy of journalists, A.I.G Amadu Mannah noted that the police do not need to prepare for the conduct of census in the country because it is not an election which people are going to fight. He added that the Mid Term census is not anything that requires the police to accompany enumerators adding that, it is not in the doctrine of the police to accompany enumerators in carrying out their duties.
AIG Mannah However sent a strong worded warning that if the police is informed that people obstruct, incite against the Mid Term Census or behalf in way that is contrary to the laws in the Census Act of 2002 and the Statistics Act of 2002, then it is their duty to intervene and go hard on the individual.
“If we have information that you have obstructed, incited or failed to do what you are supposed to do as requested by the census officer, the police will have no alternative but to intervene and enforce the law”, he warned.
Explaining the validity of the Mid-Term Census as stipulated in the Census Act and the Statistics Act of 2002, ASP Joan M.S Bull Esq, Said the conduct of the Mid-Term Census is align with the provisions in both the Census Act and the Statistics Act. He therefore, urged all and sundry to pay keen attention to the laws which give the president the power to make a proclamation for the conduct of the Mid-Term Census.
She added that two Acts make provisions for the conduct of census in the country which are the Statistics Act of 2002 and the Census Act 2002. Madam Bull furthered that both Acts are constitutional instruments which went through Parliament.
She continued by referencing section 10 subsections 2 of the statistics Act which gives power to Statistics Sierra Leone to supervise and manage the national population census to be conducted every ten years or at a shorter interval as may be determined by the president. She also noted that the aforesaid section clearly legalized the conduct of the Mid-Term Census.
Madam Bull also dispelled that all the insinuations and rumors that census should only be conducted after every ten years is totally fallacious according to the Statistics Act. She also disclosed that section 3 of the Statistics Act gives power to census officers to obtain information form citizens during census time. She emphasized the section 3 also mandates anybody to answer all questions put to him either orally or by written by the Statistician General or an officer of Statistics Sierra Leone.
ASP madam Bull also highlighted the offenses and the penalties which are provided in subsection 3 of section 21 of the Statistics Act. She intimated as per the above section that an individual who fails to answer or incite another person not to answer questions put to him as required under the Statistics Act, or furnishes or incite another person to furnish an answer to such question which is false or misleading commit an offense. She concluded that the Act also makes penalties for anybody who willfully obstructs the Statisticians General or any Officer of Statistics of Sierra Leone in the performances of his function under the Act, also commit an offense and shall be liable on conviction.