Police Supt. Andrew Sovula says Bike riders had caused more people to lose their limbs than the 11- year civil war in Sierra Leone.
Supt. Sovula made this statement during the Mwananchi (Leh Wi-Tok) Country Learning Event on Thursday April 4, at the British Council Tower Hill Freetown.
He said the rate at which bike riders are operating and conducting themselves is a recipe for future chaos and is of great concern to them as a law enforcement body in the country.
He added that bike riders are not obeying traffic rules, road signs, ignoring the use of safety gears and most times, disobey the hand signal of traffic authorities, who try to stop and direct traffic for the safety of all using the road.
For this, Supt. Sovula said, the Sierra Leone Police will not sit back and allow lawlessness to overcome the country and the SLP, will do all within the law to maintain law and order in the country.
However, the National Publicity Officer of commercial Bike Riders, Alusine Dumbuya, in a separate interview with AWOKO said that it is an unfortunate statement and that police officer Supt. Sovula is trying to present bike riders as rebels and that they the commercial bike riders will never be a party to anything that will bring chaos to the country, adding that before the intervention of ‘Mwananchi’ Leh Wi Tok programme, bike- riders nationwide were lawless adding that even the number of motorbike accident cases had dropped drastically.
This, he said, can be confirmed by the Emergency Hospital as they receive very little or no case of broken bones from motorbike-related cases.
Alusine Dumbuya, however called on civil society to continue advocating for them, as he said riders most times cause disorderly conduct are either owned or are relatives of Police officers, Military Officers, and politicians.
By Alie Turay
Supt. Sovula made this statement during the Mwananchi (Leh Wi-Tok) Country Learning Event on Thursday April 4, at the British Council Tower Hill Freetown.
He said the rate at which bike riders are operating and conducting themselves is a recipe for future chaos and is of great concern to them as a law enforcement body in the country.
He added that bike riders are not obeying traffic rules, road signs, ignoring the use of safety gears and most times, disobey the hand signal of traffic authorities, who try to stop and direct traffic for the safety of all using the road.
For this, Supt. Sovula said, the Sierra Leone Police will not sit back and allow lawlessness to overcome the country and the SLP, will do all within the law to maintain law and order in the country.
However, the National Publicity Officer of commercial Bike Riders, Alusine Dumbuya, in a separate interview with AWOKO said that it is an unfortunate statement and that police officer Supt. Sovula is trying to present bike riders as rebels and that they the commercial bike riders will never be a party to anything that will bring chaos to the country, adding that before the intervention of ‘Mwananchi’ Leh Wi Tok programme, bike- riders nationwide were lawless adding that even the number of motorbike accident cases had dropped drastically.
This, he said, can be confirmed by the Emergency Hospital as they receive very little or no case of broken bones from motorbike-related cases.
Alusine Dumbuya, however called on civil society to continue advocating for them, as he said riders most times cause disorderly conduct are either owned or are relatives of Police officers, Military Officers, and politicians.
By Alie Turay