On Monday 9th September, 2023, the Attorney General Alliance – Africa Programme paid a courtesy visit to the Inspector General of Police – Mr. William Fayia Sellu, at his George Street office at Police Headquarters. According to the team lead, Mr. John Edozie, AGA- Africa Programme has embarked on a new journey for the establishment of a partnership between AGA and the Sierra Leone Police (SLP), noting that this partnership will mark the beginning of training of forty (40) Police Officers in a bid to forster peace, security and adherence to the rule of law in Sierra Leone.
He further opined that the AGA – Africa Programme is committed to tackling Transnational Organisied Crimes such as human trafficking, money laundry, counterfeit drugs, wildlife trafficking and other cross border crimes that plague the Africa Continent. He maintained that AGA works with local partners to enhance their capacity to not only dismantle these threats but also to reinforce the rule of law and good governance. Adding, that AGA currently operates in ten (10) countries such as Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Lesotho, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda and now they are in Sierra Leone.
“It is important to note that the Attorney General Alliance – Africa Program operates independently from any country’s Attorney General’s Office, but instead counts on the Attorney General’s Office as important partners along with Prosecutors, the Judiciary, the Police and law enforcement, Bar Association, the Government, Non-Governmental Organisations and the private sector”; adding, that through these collaboration ‘we aim to establish a platform for the exchange of expertise, skills and technical support whilst providing international, regional and national project matter experts that can facilitate a continuous learning process, thereby enhancing access to justice’.
He went further to state that ‘within our partnerships, we task ourselves with identifying both the strengths and vulnerabilities of our partners to ensure that we provide them with tailored interventions’; noting, that the ultimate goal is not dependency as ‘we aspire to equip partner agencies, with the skills and knowledge needed to operate independently; and to disrupt crime through effective prevention, investigation and prosecution’, he added.
Inclusion, Mr. John Edozie noted that the courtesy visit is a significant step towards building trust and understanding between the SLP and AGA with the aim to dismantle criminal networks, champion justice and pave the way for a safer and more secure future for the continent of Africa.
In response, IGP Fayia Sellu welcomed the team to Sierra Leone and furthered that he had been briefed by the Acting Director of Training – ACP Esther Kaintor-Dukuray about AGA’s plan to provide training for our Police Officers. Mr. Sellu noted that the training is very timely, given that the cyber space has been occupied by the wrong people, and as such, the Police are finding ways and means to curb this menace. “I am happy that this training has materialised as we have huge challenges in fighting cyber crimes; we only have a small cyber lab at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and smaller ones in the provinces; but it is about the skills to capacitate personnel for effective functioning”.
“So, I look at this as a perfect opportunity to help train our personnel with the necessary skills in order to help free our cyber space from bad people”, he stated.
He wished the team a pleasant stay in Sierra Leone and expressed optimism that the cyber training will serve as the beginning of the collaboration to help overcome the challenges of fighting cyber crimes in the country.
