By Saikujohn Barrie
On Sunday, 15th December 2024, my phone was inundated with phone calls from Freetown complaining that the Sierra Leone Police(SLP) personnel were out in some parts of Freetown arresting only Fulas, apparently in retaliation of the recent incidents in Guinea involving Sierra Leoneans some of whom were Fulas.
In response, I reached out to my contacts and to my greatest surprise, discovered that it was true and that Police went on the hunt for foreign nationals but specifically targetting Guinean Nationals.
Unfortunately, the Police officers only arrested Fulas and took them to the Police Training School(PTS) at Hastings.
The police are reported to have lactating mothers, elderly men and women and illegally detained them at Hastings.
This act must be condemned in the strongest terms.
It is on the timely intervention of some MPs from Falaba and Freetown, including the Western Area Fula Tribal Head and other stakeholders that those arrested were released.
In a country of rule of law, those involved in such acts must bear the consequences for ethnic profiling; a dangerous practice that must be nipped in the bud.
This hacks back to a bygone era by the dictatorial regime of Siaka Stevens, who was notorious for harnessing Fulas.
Those days are gone and any attempt to turn back the hand of the clock should be rejected by all peace loving and law-abiding Sierra Leoneans.
My questions for the Sierra Leone Police are the following:
Did the Sierra Leone Government authorise the discriminatory arrests of only Fulas in retaliation to the arrest and deportation of some Sierra Leoneans from Guinea?
Which law in Sierra Leone empowers the Sierra Leone Police to embark on ethnic profiling leading to the mass arrest of Fulas?
Are Fulas the only community with ties to Guinea?
Where does that leave the Mandingo, Susu, Kissi and Yalunka with strong linguistic and socio-cultural ties to Guinea?
Why should the the Fulani community be target in a misguided “tit-for-tat diplomacy” with the illegitimate military junta of Mamady Doumbouya?
Doumbouya’s junta is notorious for extrajudicial killings and disappearance of its own citizens, which has forced all the key political leaders of that country into exile.
I think the police commanders and officers involved in this shameful and illegal act should be investigated to ascertain the facts behind their actions, and discipline them as per the laws of Sierra Leone.
I have no doubt that President, Maada Bio and VP Juldeh Jalloh are not aware of this decision to target only Fulas and I dont believe they will authorise the Sierra Leone Police to embark on a targetted and discriminatory arrest of only Fulas for the actions of the military junta in Conakry.
Let us say, for argument sake, that the police were genuinely looking for Guinean Nationals who are undocumented migrants or you give them whatever name you like.
Is that a justification for the ethnic profiling that was displayed by the police in this instance?
To those who may ask for evidence to support my piece, I have the names and telephone numbers of 35 people who were unlawfully arested on account of their ethnicity.
It is incumbent on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Fayia Sellu to rise to the occasion and address this ugly incident to ensure that it is not repeated to protect the rights of citizens and the image of the police, whose mottos is “force for good.”
The professionalism of the Sierra Leone Police must be protected by its leadership.
While the general public patiently waits for an answer, I think the Sierra Leone Police must be educated on the perils of ethnic profiling.
Sierra Leone can not afford that at this material time.
I rest my case.
