There is widespread public condemnation of the arrest , detention and cruel treatment by the Sierra Leone Police of popular rapper ,Alhaji Amadu Bah, popularly known as ย Boss LAJ.
According to reports received by COCORIOKO, the rapper was arrested last Sunday . But it was just his arrest that has become a subject of widespread condemnation in and out of Sierra Leone. It is the shocking story that Boss LAJ โs has had his dreadlocks shaved by the Police and he was also injected with a yellow liquid.
Such a treatment in custody of an accused who in normal legal circumstances is considered innocent until proven guilty of the offense for which he is being held, is a serious human rights violation. There is no law that mandates Police or correction officers to shave the head of an accused , not to mention inject him with a yellow liquid .
Vertex Media in Sierra Leone gave a full report of the circumstances surrounding this latest arrest of the rapper, who is a public icon in Sierra Leone
THIS IS WHAT VERTEX MEDIA REPORTED:
Popular Sierra Leone rapper Alhaji Amadu Bah, better known as Boss LAJ has allegedly being, tortured, injected with red liquid and his hair was forcefully cut off by the Sierra Leone Police, as narrated by his brother Ishmail Bah in a live Facebook interview with Nino Brown last night.
LAJ who was arrested on Sunday 12th June on his way to witness the Sierra Leone vs Guinea Bissau match in Guinea, was taken into custody by the police for alleged โrobberyโ of about Le 450,000 at a fuel station in Freetown.
According to Ishmail, Boss LA was making his statement at the Congo Cross Police station on Sunday when a pickup vehicle with OSD Police officers entered the station, tore LAJโs statement and forcefully took him to an unknown location, which he (Ishmail) later confirmed as the popular torture detention center known as โBengaziโ. His whereabout was hidden from his family and the public, until when Ishmail insisted on seeing him. He was then rushed to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday, where his lawyer and brother met him.
Ishmail furthered that he saw, touched and spoke with his brother LAJ at the CID where he explained to him how he was treated by the Police. Laj explained to him that on Sunday midnight, 3 Police Officers came to his cell to cut his hair, he refused and resisted them. The reinforced with other 7 officers (10 officers in total) who forcefully injected him with red liquids and cut off his hair. He said LAJ told him he overheard the Police Officers saying they had orders from their boss to carry-out the exercise. When they eventually cut off his hair, LAJ requested the Police to give him back his hair, but they refused and burnt it in front of him.
From what Ishmail narrated, LAJโs detention is political. His initial statements at the Congo Cross Police Station were completely destroyed by the other officers who invaded the station and took him away. He is now being charged with an offence of robbery.
The details of Ishmailโs narrations are yet to be verified and the Sierra Leone Police have not yet responded to these allegations.
Entertainers have took to social in solidarity with their colleague, Boss LAJ, calling for justice.
ยฉ๏ธ www.vertexmedia.sl
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COCORIOKO learnt that this latest arrest of the rapper drew attention from the nation . WE WERE SENT AN UPDATE ON THE ARREST THAT IS ALSO VERY TROUBLING . READ :
Day Two Update on the LAJ matter:
By Afred Kamanda
This morning I received a call from the Human Rights Commission office in respect of my post last evening and they needed to see how they can help in anyways possible. This shows we have institutions monitoring the media space and seeking modern ways to help resolve issues and ensure the rights of people are respected and protected.
I immediately called LAJโs father (My Client) and another young man named Silvin Bah who says he is a family member and an advocate. They came to the office and we then went to the Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone ๐ธ๐ฑ. The reception was top notch!!
We met with a young team of all men at the Complaint Department of the HRCSL. They attended to us very well and then obtained statements from the father of LAJ.
Thereafter they told us to join them head to the OSD Headquarters at Brookfields. They attempted entering with their vehicle but they were prevented from entering with the same. With their help we entered the facility and they informed the โOfficersโ our mission. It looks like a completely restricted facility so even movement is closely watched. Since we were not allowed to move away from the entrance of the building, the Human Rights Officer placed a call to the Head of the said facility who informed him to make enquiries at the Criminal Investigations Department and not there.
Hopeful as we were, we moved to the CID headquarters and we came out with nothing to show for our wasted day.
Luckily, I called the retained Solicitor for LAJ Madieu Sesay who was also busy at the Law Officers Department trying to see how we could get something positive.
With the help of these two men from the HRCSL, we went to the Communications Directors of the SLP who admonished the HRCSL to pen down their concerns in a correspondence addressed to the Director of Crime Services. They were as frustrated as LAJโs father for not able to help a helpless man have access to his kids.
We left without seeing LAJ or his other brothers. The day is dead and gone and we have not seen him! Even with the full support of the Human Rights Commission Sierra Leone we were unable to meet with Alhaji Amadu Bah, his elder brother Ishmael Bah and two other brothers (all kids of the old man according to him).
The Sierra Leone Police continues to hold popular musician LAJ, who was arrested this week after a public outburst I which he condemned the Mende Ethnic group in Sierra Leone.
UPDATE BY AMADU LAMRANA BAH
*Amadu Lamrana Bah.*
It seems the Police are hiding something especially when they are refusing to speak to the media and the public about the arrest and detention of Capitano La.
I have asked and I am sure my colleagues have asked too about his arrest, prolonged detention, and whether he will be charged to court since Sunday 12th June when he was arrested.
The Police are not responding to any of these questions.
His elder brother who saw him in detention has claimed that he was tortured and injected with a liquid, and his dreadlocks shaved off but the Police have also not denied this claim officially.
Worse is even when his Lawyers and the Human Rights Commission have been denied access to see him following these claims.
No citizen should go through this, least could be to charge anyone to court for any alleged crime or release them if there is no case.
Some of us have said it here and will continue to say that we need these institutions to be independent with some serious leadership.
Sadly, this isn’t the first and won’t be the last. Many of our compatriots have suffered the same and are still suffering unjustly.
In the end, no one will be held accountable for these actions of abuse. Many of us have seen and suffered it in this Republic.
#FreetownStories.
