Alhaji Amadu Bah, better known by his stage name LAJ, said over the last few years he has had to endure “a string of ill treatments and injustices in the hands of the police” which has wane his faith in thefairness of the justice system.
“I have realized that when it comes to justice, the police do notappear willing to fight for me as a citizen. In fact, all they seem to be interested in is to tarnish my hard earned image,” the artist, who
heads the Red Flag Movement or RFM, said Tuesday.
At a press conference in Freetown, LAJ listed a catalogue of incidents within the last one year which involved his arrest on “trumped up” charges or his complaints against acts of aggression ignored by thepolice.
LAJ is ranked among the top five biggest artists in Sierra Leone. His Red Flag Movement is particularly popular due to its involvement in a long term with another top artist, Kao Denero. Denero, whose real name is Amara Denise Turay, is the head of the Black Leo.
The relationship between RFM and Black Leo is like a gang rivalry, and it has in the past involved fatal clashes. But LAJ believes he has received the most negative publicity among the rest of his peers, a situation he blames on the police’s ‘bias’ towards him.
The artist cited five instances between February and December 2018 when he said he was either accused of involvement in some crime, for which he was detained and later released without charge, or he was attacked without any action by the police.
“Basically, anytime something has happened to me and I have reported, not for once have I ever got any call from the police to say they have either investigated, charged the matter to court or made any arrest. Not for once. All throughout this time that I face humiliation and embarrassment, not for once the police does anything,” the artist said.
LAJ made headlines in the run-up to the March 2018 elections when he became one of several artists who endorsed political opponents in the hotly conducted polls. He pitched tents with the then candidate of the incumbent All Peoples Congress (APC), Dr Samura Kamara. Because of
this the RFM leader believes his ordeal is partly politically motivated.
According to him, he has been attacked at least two times by supporters of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), which is currently in power.
LAJ, while appealing to the government and the leadership of the police to treat him just like any other citizen, said people like him should be made to suffer because of their way of life. He also sought to debunk the widely held notion that he is a violent person.