Police at CID are accused of abusing, intimidating, and threatening a female lawyer.
In a distressing incident today, lawyer Henrietta Kargbo accused officers at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of assault, intimidation, and threats after being summoned following a report by the newly elected president of the Bar Association, Tuma Gento.
Kargbo, along with her colleagues who stood in solidarity, claimed they were attacked and mistreated by the police. According to Kargbo, the confrontation began when she tried to document an assault on a fellow female lawyer by male officers.
She recounted, “I was choked, pushed, and held at gunpoint by three men at the CID, all of whom I can identify. Two were in OSD uniforms, and the third, a driver at the CID, was dressed casually.”
The head of CID, referred to as RPG, was reportedly present during the incident. Kargbo alleged that RPG ordered officers to forcibly remove any lawyer who refused to leave. The driver who restrained her declared her arrest and threatened that she would spend the night in custody, dismissing her request for authorization from the Attorney General.
Kargbo's ordeal escalated when she attempted to record video evidence of the assault on her colleague. Her phone was confiscated, and the Cyber Unit forced her to delete the footage before returning the device an hour later. She described being verbally abused and physically restrained, resulting in pain from the tight grips of officers.
Her collar was torn off, and she endured verbal abuse as she and her colleagues were escorted out of the CID compound. Reflecting on the incident, Kargbo expressed deep concern about the safety and treatment of legal professionals in Sierra Leone.
“This occurred in broad daylight, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone. Being a lawyer in Sierra Leone now means fighting for justice and your life,” she concluded.
The allegations have triggered outrage within the legal community and the public, demanding an immediate investigation into the actions of the CID officers involved.