A Facade Police Force

Police Refused to Release Dr. Bright and Madam Femi Over 72 Hours Now In Detention.

By Musa Kamara

After their unlawful arrest and detention of Dr. Dennis Bright and Madam Femi Caldius Cole on Sunday 3rd July 2022, the Sierra Leone Police has in a press release issued today, stating that, they will be releasing Madam Femi Cladius Cole and Dr. Dennis Bright on conditions. 

To the dismay of members of the public and families of both Dr. Bright and Madam Femi Cole, the Police are yet to release them even though it has taken over 72 hours since they were detained and going against what they stated in their press release. 

The police have deceived the public by failing to release Dr. Bright and Madam Femi and grossly violated the human rights of both madam Femi and Dr. Bright after they have been unlawfully detained for over 72 hours now which is the maximum time the police can detain a suspect. 

Interestingly, the Police in their Press Release issued today were unable to give or mention any evidence of "incitement" caused by Dr. Bright or Madam Femi. This is how disingenuous our "Force for Good" has become. They just wake up and arrest anyone they feel like arresting overnight, detain you for over 72 hours and come up with some flimsy press release to launder their already dirty image.

Section 17 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991 and Section 80 of the Criminal Procedure Act, 1965 are the extant legal provisions dealing with detention of suspects in police custody. Both acts clearly frown at unnecessary and unreasonable detention of suspects. The said acts recommend detention of suspects at police station only as a last resort and in exceptional cases such as for felonies. This is the same approach of international legal treatises to which Sierra Leone is a signatory as evidenced in article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights and article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The power to detain is however subject to strict conditions including constitutional limits on the period of detention-3 days for misdemeanors and 10 days for capital offenses. At the expiration of this period the police MUST either charge the matter to court or release the suspect on bail.

In practice however, police officers often lock up suspects longer than the constitutional limit and by so doing, violate the rights and dignity of these suspects. The Police have clearly violated the rights and dignity of Dr. Dennis Bright and Madam Femi Cladius Cole by refusing to release them today, after spending over 3 days in detention without any charges.

SALON FOS NEWSPAPER 📰 

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