Unprecedented increase in youth violence in the country
Foundation for Democratic Initiatives and Development – SL (FDID-SL), wishes to register her disgust at the high rate of youth violence that has surfaced in the last two weeks. What is most alarming and worrisome is that little or no action has been done to forestall this unfortunate state of affairs. Just a week ago a police officer was ruthlessly murdered and two others sustained severe injuries by hoodlums whose whereabouts still remains a mystery. We were again woken up by the unfortunate news of the death of an “okada” rider in Bo who was also believed to have been murdered by drug users. On the 1st of December a young lady was also murdered by a beach boy who was undoubtedly a drug user. The recently concluded inter-secondary school league was marred by violence. We saw school boys engaged in acts of vandalism.
The above catalogued events to our estimation are all early warning signs of conflict and that the police had to rise up to the occasion of ensuring a peaceful conduct of elections come 2012. We have often experienced violence because early warnings are not usually followed by preventive actions. As a state, we must ensure that the police is not only trained and equipped but must be motivated to discharge this herculean task with professionalism. These early warning signs must be treated with the utmost seriousness they deserve, if Sierra Leone is to considered a serious nation.
As an organization, it behooves us to condemn this unfortunate state of affairs and we are therefore calling civil societies, media, political actors and the security sector to join us in not only condemning this diabolical act but to join hands in ensuring that it is relegated to history.
FDID-SL strongly believes that perpetrators’ of these crimes are mostly per-taker of illegal substances and alcohol.
FDID-SL
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