By Saikujohn Barrie
The killing of the police officer in makeni last night can only be described as criminal and lawless and the person or persons behind the unfortunate killing must be investigated and charged to court.
The targeting of police officers or members of the security sector for killing should not be tolerated and should be roundly condemned by all and sundry.
I was appalled and distraught when I saw the pictures of the slained delta officer lying in puddle of blood ostensibly being shot by an unknown assailant.
Imagine for a senior police officer to be gunned down! The occurrence of such incidents in the country portrays bad image of our country to the outside world.
According to my sources in makeni this morning, residents are scared and that there were all sort of rumours hovering around as to would be police reaction to the killing of their colleague.
I have also listened to some social media audios messages where some people have already started capitalising on the unfortunate killing of the police officer to stoke political tension and tribalism in the country.
From my personal observations, I have noticed that the hate massages spewed by both politicians and social media miscreants both in and outside Sierra Leone have been gnawing the fabric of society thus the situation as the country approaches elections is combustible.
Furthermore, spreading of hate messages via audios or otherwise be it against the SLPP or APC or any other political party’s members in the country is abhorrent and it is a recipe to chaos and bedlam in that country. I think the earlier members of the various political parties know this the better.
At this difficult time for the police leadership, family members of the slained officer, and the President of the country, I would like to implore the relevant authorities to cautiously investigate the killing so as to identify the perpetrator/s and bring the person to book for their heinous and barbaric crime.
In my opinion, the killing is pure and applied criminality, and it must be dealt with as such devoid of any political undertone.
This is because the moment either the state authorities or other relevant stakeholders dilute the issues with politics, the investigation into the incident will lose it relevance.
In addition, those intending to use this unfortunate incident to rope in political opponents or other perceived political enemies must give way for the police and relevant authorities to do proper investigations so that the criminal/s behind the killing are held to account.
Additionally, those intending to use the unfortunate incidents to fan the flame of tribalism in the country must give way and allow the authorities to investigate the matter.
It is on this note I express my disgust and worry about the killing of the country’s police officer.
