These came out glaringly when the Open Government Initiative (OGI) in a series of its usual field trips and town hall dialogue meetings discovered that the judiciary in Koinadugu seems to be facing an up hill task with inefficiencies as evidenced during inspections of both the Kabala Police Station and the district’s Prisons unit.

Led by the Local Unit Commander Assistance Superintendent Amadu Deen Sesay, the OGI Director Khadija Sesay and team were taken on needs assessment tour of the Kabala Police Station, where the team learnt that there are inadequate facilities at the said division.

Speaking in a meeting held at the LUC’s office, shortly after a tour of the station, APS Sesay was blunt enough to inform the delegation about the appalling detention conditions in cells at the Kabala Police Station, which he said can’t be accounted for by his administration. ‘We are not given the mandate to use mattresses nor mats in cells’, said ASP Sesay.

He disclosed that there are no cells for female and juvenile suspects saying; ‘Since I was transferred to this division less than two weeks ago, I have not had any juvenile matter’.

Further inquiries into the welfare of suspects, ASP Sesay replied; ‘There is no provision made for food by Executive Management Board of the Sierra Leone Police and as we can see, food comes from suspects’ individual parents and relatives’.  

Inspector Alex Mohamed Conteh of the Family Support Unit said he do receive a lot of juvenile matters, most of which a family related. He said all juvenile matters are being channeled to the FSU who investigate and later referred them to the appropriate authorities for further redress.

‘Most times of these matters are given back to their parents even before completion because there is no holding space for juvenile suspects’, disclosed Inspector Conteh.

At the district’s Prisons, the delegation was received by the Regional Director Shar-Lamin N’gobeh who took the team to the male and female cells, the clinic and the kitchen, where the diet of prisoners was inspected and proved fit for consumption.

The Kabala prisons housed twenty-nine prisoners-three female, one convicted and the two others were on remand, whiles the male cells housed twenty-seven inmates in all.

The Regional Director Shar Lamin said prisoners are well taken care of and trained in middle-level man power in various skilled jobs so that when once they are out of detention they would always considerer the prisons as a re-correctional place and not a home for capital punishments, hence call on government for supply of medical facility for prisoners.