Event Summary
According to reports and a press release, Lifeline Nehemiah Project (LNP) has condemned police brutality and arbitrary arrest of staff, citing a recent incident affecting its staff, volunteers, beneficiaries, and the wider Kuntorloh community. This concerns allegations of land grabbing by LNP against the Minister of Social Welfare Mrs Melrose Karmity to construct dwellings for people with disability, as well as activity is linked to a USD 990,000 funding by the Government of India through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and implemented by the Ministry of Social Welfare.
The press release furthered that on 14 February 2026, at about 10:15 a.m, unannounced armed police entered the LNP compound and demolished a carpentry workshop. A senior LNP staff member who sought an explanation was arrested. Carpentry workshop trainers report destruction and loss of client materials and livelihoods as a result of the demolition. The staff was detained for over a week without charge and was only released after pressure from international partners including the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Right Defenders Mary Lawlor.
This is not the first time reports of human rights violation in the form of arrest and detention have emerged, with previous reports of this pattern being used since the issue started in September last year. There have been allegations that the operations of the Sierra Leone Police on 4 October 2025, saw an infant suffocating to death, as a result of the tear gas release in the area by the police personnel. There is urgent call for government and partners to pay keen attention to this situation to prevent further chaos, with continued target on LNP staff who are operating in the community and supporting education and training of women and children through a vocational training center, orphanage for children and a school for their beneficiaries and the community.