NEW STATE HOUSE OCCUPANT ERNEST BAI KOROMA MUST ACT...
 ....AND NOW TO CREATE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE

Wednesday September 19, 2007: The Inspector-General of Police told the BBC's Network Africa programme this morning that the massive looting of the SLPP offices were carried out by the same security groups that had been employed and deployed by the SLPP when that party was in power. He also revealed that it was done in what he termed "Operation Pay Yourself".

We have no reason to doubt the words of the Inspector-General Brima Acha Kamara as he had in the past demonstrated that he should not be doubted when he says something - and again we have no reason to cast any doubt on what he said on the programme this morning.

The use of the phrase "Operation Pay Yourself" however raises the spectre of mayhem and extreme violence in an atmosphere of chaos and lawlessness where the gun rules and normal and right thinking human beings are portrayed as the enemy.

It is an order given to armed gangs, mostly roving drug-infused bands of sadists to take whatever they desire using any means necessary as we witnessed in the aftermath of the Johnny Paul Koroma-inspired coup of May 29, 1997 that unleashed mayhem, death and destruction never seen in Sierra Leone's history of unbridled violence.

Foday Sankoh, the father of unbridled and mindless violence on civilians in Sierra Leone is reported to have issued this order to his minions as the beasts went on the rampage. Here's the online encyclopaedia, Wikipedia's take on "Operation Pay Yourself".

And so if the Head of the Sierra Leone Police can use this phrase without hesitation, then this calls for all measures to be put in place to end this as well as ensuring that all those who were engaged in the looting and untoward behaviour be brought to justice. These private security people the Inspector-General spoke about must be known to his men and so it should not be difficult to track them down in the dragnet of the police.

The death of the individual found in the vicinity or on the premises of the SLPP office must be investigated thoroughly and if the Inspector General finds himself in a rather awkward situation, must seek help from an independent body approved by the government or the international community.

That death must not be allowed to go away without further investigation and necessary action.

That was a Sierra Leonean life and such must never happen again.

Then there is the very disturbing question relating to violence unleashed upon the Nigerian civilian population along Goderich Street.

All those who carried out these attacks must be clearly identified and brought before the courts to answer for their action. It would not help to start theorising as to why the Nigerian community was targeted. What is known was that these people, the Nigerians going about their lawful chores, were brutalised for no just and lawful reason and were subjected to all manner of molestation, physical and mental abuse and forced to flee from their usual area of business and residence.

Nigeria is a key player in the West African sub-region, the continent of Africa and by extension the world and no one should take it upon him/herself to cause untold suffering on Nigerians within the borders of Sierra Leone. Nigerians and all foreign nationals within Sierra Leone must enjoy the protection of the state of Sierra Leone and this duty falls squarely on Ernest Bai Koroma as the new President of Sierra Leone.

Any hesitation to deal with the culprits is likely to send the wrong signals and would see the beginning of days we would never want to revisit more especially so now that he himself has said that his party is the new APC.

In 1996 when Tejan Kabbah won the run-off between himself and Dr John Karefa-Smart, we did not see SLPP supporters/criminal elements sacking the offices of the UNPP and again when the SLPP won in 2002 the country did not witness the beginning of mindless violence that saw APC or other party members being forced to flee because of security concerns.

President Ernest Bai Koroma - we watch to see how you handle this "little annoyance" and challenge to your authority.