In a shocking incident today, Female lawyer Henrietta Kargbo has accused police officers at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of assault, intimidation, and threats, after being invited there following a report by the newly elected president of the Bar Association Tuma Gento

It is further alleged that Kargbo and her colleagues, who accompanied her in solidarity, were reportedly attacked and molested by the police.

According to Kargbo, the altercation occurred when she attempted to document an assault on a fellow female colleague by male officers.

Kargbo recounted the harrowing experience, stating, “I was choked, pushed, and eventually held at gunpoint by three men at the CID — all of whom I can identify. Two were in OSD uniforms, and the third, dressed casually, was identified as a driver at the CID.”

The head of CID, known as RPG, was reportedly present during the incident. Kargbo alleges that RPG ordered officers to remove any lawyer who refused to leave the premises, either by force or arrest.

“The said ‘driver,’ who at one point held me tightly, declared my arrest and swore I would spend the night in police custody. When I asked to see the authorization from the Attorney General, he shouted in my face, in the presence of RPG, that he needed no such permission,” Kargbo detailed.

This confrontation stemmed from Kargbo’s attempt to record video evidence of two male officers assaulting her colleague. Her phone was confiscated and the Cyber Unit forced her to delete the footage before returning the device an hour later.

“My collarette was ripped off my neck, and I was verbally abused by officers as we were escorted out of the CID compound,” Kargbo stated. “I am still in pain from the tight grips of men who are about twice my body weight. If it were not for the grace of God and the efforts of fellow colleagues, I could have been killed or unlawfully detained.”

Kargbo’s account has raised serious concerns about the treatment of legal professionals in Sierra Leone. “This happened to me in broad daylight, and if it can happen to me, it can happen to you. It is apparent that being a lawyer in Sierra Leone today means not only fighting for justice but also fighting for your life,” she concluded.

The allegations have sparked outrage among the legal community and the public, calling for an urgent investigation into the conduct of the CID officers involved.