Bo LUC Demands Le 50,000 From Complainants
Complainants reporting to the police in Bo have to cough up a fifty thousand Leone fee for stationery before their matter can be treated.
According to Bo sources, the Local Unit Commander of the Bo Police made an order to his personnel that all serious matters reported in the police must go with fifty thousand Leones. This money is paid to the crime officer and it is being recorded as stationery.
A driver, known as Ansu experienced this new law when he made a report to the police following an attack on his vehicle resulting in the windscreen being broken.
According to the complainant, when he forwarded his report to the Bo police Traffic Division, he was categorically told that Inspector General Acha Kamara had ordered them not to issue out or treat any case without complainant providing stationary costing Le.50, 000 per person.
According to Mr. Ansu, Police Sergeant Koroma, the desk officer on duty demanded he pay fifty thousand before his report can be processed. Mr. Ansu appealed that he had no money as he was just a driver with a meager salary, but Sergeant Koroma insisted he pay before he “puts pen to paper.”
Initially the driver had wanted to deny paying the money, but looking at his position as an NGO driver, he had no option but to borrow the money and pay.
In an interview with Sierra Express Media Sergeant Koroma said he has orders from above to collect the money and that it is a directive from his Local Unit Commander. “I am a trained man and I therefore cannot disobey my orders,” he said.
Attempts to contact the LUC failed as he was not available. Numerous people who have made a report to the police for various complaints however confirmed that they have paid the obligatory fifty thousand Leones fee before their cases could be processed. “It is not a secret that the police in Bo collect fifty thousand from all complainants,” said Umu Kallon who said robbers stole her wares in her house but that she had to ‘cough up’ the money even though nothing was ever retrieved from her stolen items. “I just paid the money for nothing,” she fumed.
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