After two weeks in Police custody, sources within the Sierra Leone Police media and Public Relations Unit have confirmed that Ibrahim Bangura, appeared in court on 23rd May 2022 after he was captured in a video on Social media assaulting a police officer on the 10th May this along Siaka Steven Street in Freetown where the office was stationed.

Bangura will be answering to charges ranging from inflicting bodily harm on a police officer and obstruction of justice among others according to the source.

The video showing the assault of the police officer on duty , sparked outrage among many Sierra Leoneans. Civil Society activists and the Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone (HRCSL) have long condemned the action of the civilian and all other attacks on law enforcement officers and therefore called for a speedy investigation into the matter.

HRCSL in a press statement dated 16th May 2022 reminded citizens of their responsibility to be law-abiding and support law enforcement officers in the discharge of their duties as provided for in section 13 (1) of the 1991 constitution of Sierra Leone.

However, the commission called on the Sierra Leone police to “immediately charge this matter to court without any further delay as the detention of the suspect has gone beyond the constitutional term limit”.. The Coalition of Civil Society and Human Rights Activists also in a press statement condemned “the actions of all those citizens who were at the scene of the crime but refused to protect the officer and instead were laughing and filming”.

The CSO urged the police to “speedily investigate the matter and bring Bangura before a court for the lawlessness and indiscipline.