FREETOWN, 12 November 2026 – Nearly half of the officers named in the Sierra Leone Police’s controversial October promotion list have been struck off following a top-level review that confirmed serious irregularities in the original exercise.
Inspector-General of Police William Fayia Sellu announced the outcome of the review on Thursday at a press conference at the Senior Police Officers’ Mess in Kingtom. Of the 4,232 officers initially promoted on 12 October, only about 2,500 met the required standards of date of enlistment, academic qualifications and time since last promotion. An additional 1,300 officers have now been added, bringing the revised total to roughly 3,800. The remaining 700 approved positions will stay vacant.
Sellu said the original exercise, handled by the then Director of Human Resource Management and his team, was “characterised by several anomalies and procedural irregularities” that fell short of professional standards.
On taking charge, he immediately cancelled the list and set up a review committee led by Deputy Inspector-General Andrew Mustapha Kamara. An investigation into the Human Resource Department’s role will now begin.
The IGP also revealed that the promotion process has been deliberately decentralised. Under the old system, officers could ignore their Local Unit Commanders and departmental heads and lobby directly at Police Headquarters. This, he said, undermined command and discipline and disadvantaged officers who followed proper channels. From now on, LUCs and unit commanders must submit performance appraisals and recommendations for their own personnel.
Quoting Frantz Fanon – “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfil it or betray it” – Sellu framed the clean-up as part of a wider effort to reset the force, restore public trust and rebuild respect for the chain of command.
The revised list and the decision to leave 700 slots empty mark a sharp break from the earlier exercise that had triggered widespread debate among officers and the public.
For many in the ranks and ordinary citizens watching the SLP’s credibility, the message is clear: promotions will no longer be decided solely at headquarters, and those who cut corners will face scrutiny.
