The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in a press release warns the general public of extra-judicial killings of suspected thieves and criminals across the country.

In the press release, the SLP expressed concern about recent trends that reveal a persistent pattern of violence being inflicted upon specific individuals within certain communities, under the pretext of dispensing justice

The police characterized these actions as acts of violence masquerading as justice, stating, “These instances of violence disguised as justice result in what can only be termed as extra-judicial killings of alleged thieves or wrongdoers within certain local communities.

The SLP condemns these actions as homicidal and a grave miscarriage of justice. They emphasized that within this context, the SLP aims to reinforce the message that mob or jungle justice holds no position within a civilized society. Such actions carry profound and extensive consequences for the state’s peace, safety, and security.

“Mob justice in Sierra Leone is outrightly intolerable, given the fact that the position of the law is clear: no person has the right to unreasonably and unjustifiably take the life of another person – either suspected to have committed a crime or being about to do so,” said the SLP.

They cited in the 1991 Constitution for the public to be aware of the Laws against mob Justice. “It is to be noted that Section 23 (4) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No. 6 of 1991) presumes everyone to be innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.

The SLP would therefore like to reiterate that the only statutory body authorised to investigate suspected criminals is the Police. The SLP wishes to clearly state that individuals who are engaged or have been engaged in acts viewed as mob justice in various communities across the country must stop and refrain from doing so now,” said the SLP.