SLP Condemns Mob Justice

Alusine Fullah

The Sierra Leone Police has condemned persistent perpetration of violence against certain individuals in some communities in the guise of exercising justice. The press release states:

The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is concerned about recent trends depicting a situation of persistent perpetration of violence meted out against certain individuals in some communities, in the guise of exercising justice.

These violent acts ‘in the guise of exercising justice’ culminate in what can best be described as extra-judicial killings of suspected thieves or miscreants in some local communities. The SLP views these acts as homicidal and a serious miscarriage of justice.

It is against this backdrop that the SLP seeks to remind everyone that mob or jungle justice has no place in any decent society, considering that it has serious and far-reaching implications for the peace, safety, and security of the State. Mob justice in Sierra Leone is out rightly intolerable, given the fact that the position of the law is clear: no person has the right to unreasonably and unjustifiably take the life of another person – either suspected to have committed a crime or being about to do so.

It is to be noted that Section 23 (4) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No. 6 of 1991) presumes everyone to be innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.

The SLP would therefore like to reiterate that the only statutory body authorized to investigate suspected criminals is the Police.

The SLP wishes clearly state that individuals who are engaged or have been engaged in acts viewed as mob justice in various communities across the country must stop and refrain from doing so now. They should know that these acts are not only hostile but barbaric as well. It is either they desist now from such offensive acts or be ready to face the full force of the law!

The SLP has encouraged everyone to report any incident of suspected or arrested criminals to the nearest police station for investigations and subsequent prosecutions, as prescribed by law.