By Desmond Lewis
Freetown: On Wednesday, February 25, 2025, Amnesty International Sierra Leone urged the Operational Support Division (OSD) of the Sierra Leone Police to close its Benghazi facility, which is allegedly used by the police to torture suspects.
Mr. Jaiah Kaikai, Campaign and Growth Coordinator of Amnesty International Sierra Leone, held a news conference in Freetown, calling for the immediate dismantling of the Benghazi facility, located at the OSD headquarters in Brookfield, Freetown. He noted that operating such a facility constitutes subjecting suspects to inhuman and degrading treatment.
His statement came following complaints lodged by citizens about being subjected to ill-treatment and torture at the hands of the police in Benghazi. Kaikai cited an incident where suspects accused of stealing fuel from PC and Sons fuel depot at Ferry Junction were taken to Ross Road Police Station and later sent to the notorious ‘Benghazi torture camp,’ where they were allegedly tortured before being returned to Ross Road Police Station.
“How can such things happen?” Kaikai questioned. “We have been getting several complaints from victims and their families about Benghazi. We are doing our best as a human rights organization to see that such inhuman and degrading treatment stops,” he stated.
Yalia Kamara, Amnesty International’s West Region Chairman, shared that one of the victims showed scars and bumps from the torture. “As a professional police force, they should not be involved in such behavior,” she said. Kamara added that the suspects spent 12 days in police custody without being charged, violating their fundamental human rights.
According to Kamara, when they followed up on the investigation at the police station, they were informed by the crime officer that no file of such nature was in his possession.
Amnesty International’s call for the closure of the Benghazi facility highlights ongoing concerns about human rights abuses and the need for accountability within the Sierra Leone Police.