We have issues of serious concern in Kambia district at the moment. They are in relation to the curfew. It is so alarming that in the midst of the curfew in our district armed robbery and the number of burglaries have dramatically increased in almost every corner of Kambia.
This has inundated us with complaints from our people within the district about the astonishing frequency with which these robberies are committed. It is hard to imagine that armed robbers could break into a shop that is a stone’s throw from a police and military checkpoint in the midst of a curfew. Well, that was exactly what happened in Kambia, and the entire shop was ransacked from top to bottom, without a whimper from the security personnel at the nearby checkpoint.
This has left many residents in Kambia wondering what exactly is the role of the security patrol in ensuring the safety of the people and property within the district in the midst of this curfew. If a shop so close to the police and military checkpoint could be so comprehensively looted, one will shudder to imagine who is safe in such a environment.
It is against this background that we, as a district-based advocacy committee, are demanding an explanation from the security personnel in Kambia as to why such a robbery could be committed under their watchful eyes, so to speak. We no longer feel safe if a robbery like this can go unexplained. We call for an official explanation on why the robbery at the shop closer to the police and military checkpoint in particular was executed without the slightest of resistance from the security personnel.