Koinadugu Securities Salute President Koroma but complains political interference

Security forces attached to Koinadugu District have after hanging heads with the Attitudinal and Behavioural Change (ABC) Secretariat during the latter’s sensitization exercise at their individual locations on Wednesday May 30, 2012 saluted President Ernest Bai Koroma for his statesmanship in identifying negative attitudes and behaviours as the principal enemies to development in Sierra Leone and unlike previous presidents wasted no time to arrest them through a well-structured institution.  (Photo: Dr. Ivan Ajibola talking to the soldiers)

The police, prisons and military officers admitted that bad attitudes and behaviours which were rampant and led to the destruction of the public image has started subsiding within their  establishments, albeit the fact that some of their comrades are still reluctant to live according to expectations. Thus justifying the Presidential assignment on the ABC Secretariat to inexorably engage the securities forces to understand that their manifestation of bad manners is as unprofessional as it is counterproductive to the nation’s agenda of a speedy economic, political and social recovery. In this light the officers rendered the ABC Secretariat standing ovations for reaching them with their sensitization which according to them is timely base on the reality that the country is heading for a seeming stiff contested Presidential, Parliamentary and Local Council elections; an incidence they used to exploit to unconstitutionally bulldoze their way into power through violent coup d’états.

 At the Kabala Police Station the Executive Director of ABC Secretariat, Dr. Ivan Ajibola Thomas underscored that the Police is the leading actor in the country’s justice system and appealed to them to avoid the temptations of mortgaging their integrity to corrupt activities for personal enrichment. He called on them to be cognizant that their job is a complex one since at most times they deal with sly criminals who are ready to part with huge amount of wealth in order to evade justice. Dr. Thomas did not mince his words in referencing a recent Anti-Corruption Commission Public Perception Report which identified the Sierra Leone Police as the most corrupt institution in the country. This he said is enough to caution members of the Sierra Leone Police against taking bribes and contaminating the justice system. He reminded them of how their miscarriage and triviality of justice served as one of the causes of the past brutal rebel war and maintained that their postwar compatriots are in no way ready to go through the pains of  a similar hostility. Amidst impending elections Dr. Thomas urged them to remain neutral especially when in their uniforms as they are supposed to be apolitical.

Addressing the police personnel the National Coordinator and Second-in-Command of the ABC Secretariat, Madam Nanette Thomas enticed them to desist from undermining their superiors and learn to bring their enemies closer than perceived friends for the sake of cohesion and development. She stressed the concerns of Dr. Ivan Ajibola Thomas over the prevalence of negative attitudes and behaviours within the rank and file of the Sierra Leone Police and how this keeps, in spite of local and international interventions, demoralizing its image. Madam Thomas pointed out that although there are some well-mannered police officers, a host of them specifically in the Traffic Division still extort monies from drivers and bike riders. This act Madam Thomas complained has led to the undue increment transportation fares and serious road accidents. As a Force-for-Good she tasked the officers to attain impressive attitudes and behaviours by perfectly managing their finances, relationships, environments, health and spiritualties. With impressive manners she assured them of better opportunities and long life. Moreover, as an institution which is supposed to strive on the virtues of love and unity, Madam Thomas advocated for the abhorrence of magnification of issues, destructive labeling of others, imperative thinking, mind reading and the formation of cliques.

Responding the Support Officer of Kabala Police Station, Assistant Superintendent Daykai Brimah Kargbo on behalf of his team registered sincere appreciation for the sensitization exercise and promised that they will exert all efforts in their own little way in ensuring that the exhibitions of negative manners become a thing of the past within the Sierra Leone Police.

Sensitizing Prisons Officers at the Kabala Prisons Dr. Thomas and Madam Thomas who happen to be former political prisoner highlighted the necessity for prison officers to be giving inmates their destined human rights. In their view prisons should not be hells but rather correctional centers were prisoners should be modified and given skills training so that upon serving sentences they can be gainfully contribute to their localities. The denounced the officers’ demonstration of segregation among prisoners, fleecing of prisoners’ properties, dishing out of substandard foods, accessing prisoners to offensive weapons and dangerous drugs and sexually abusing prisoners.

The Program Manager of ABC Secretariat, Mr. Ishmael Cole cried down the prison officers for usually failing to change the negative mindsets and thoughts of prisoners. And indicted the officers for misusing prison vehicles which he said are at most time used for unofficial purposes. He described the above acts as negative attitudes and behaviours and called on the officers to desist from doing such.

On his part the Northern Region Coordinator of ABC Secretariat, Mr. Daniel Sara Turay observed that although the prisons have stopped from blatantly using prisoners as slaves to work on farms and cut woods for senior prisons officers, there are still certain bad habits that are supposed to be extricated from the institution. A common one he pointed is the act of denying certain inmates the right to be visited by their relatives.

In reply to the focused anomalies the Officer- in- Charge of Kabala Prisons, Assistant Superintendent Kabba Jalloh assured that the ABC Secretariat’s observations will help in their efforts to serve as exemplary and professional prison officers.

Climaxing the ABC Secretariats sensitization of securities within the Koinadugu District was their visit to the 12 Battalion were the attached military officers were reminded of the constitutional role and murky history of betraying the trust of defenseless civilians. This Dr. Thomas bemoaned and advised them not to repeat doing again as in democracy their responsibility is to defend the lives and properties of tax payers and not interfering into politics. He caution them on their role in the challenging soon to come November 17^th 2012 polls which he informed could make or break Sierra Leone. According to him despite a smeared identity the Regimental Sierra Leone Arm Forces is privileged to rebuild its battered image provided its officers live by and die for their pledge.

He motivated the officers to opt for advanced academic qualifications and modern skill training especially in computer technology which he asserted will afford them promotions and consequently higher wages.

Madam Thomas commended the gallant officers for their excellent performances in foreign peace keeping missions and championing of the HlV/AIDS campaign which she said are not only adding feathers to the RSLAF’s cap, but flying Sierra Leone’s flag high in the international arena. Notwithstanding these she condemned the officers for the misuse of government assets and disregard for traffic regulation. She similarly advised them to inculcate the habits of managing their finances, relationships, environments, spiritualties and health. In her closing statement Madam Thomas urged the officers to exercise restrain from making them available to politicians who might want to use them to unleash violence in the coming elections.

Making a point the Adjutant of 12 Battalion, Captain J. B. Koroma thanked the Secretariat for calling on them and assured that they will make good use of the sensitization. He complained of political interferences whenever the need arises to discipline certain officers that consciously breach the ethics of RSLAF. Against this backdrop he called on the ABC Secretariat to assist them to put a stop to these demeaning political meddling which he claimed are creating sacred cows within their rank and file.

By Momoja Lappia     

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