By Mustapha Jallow
Residents of a home at New Jeshwang have deplored the manner in which officers of the Drug Law Enforcement 
Agency (DLEA) conducted a search of their home for suspected cannabis on 15 February.
They claim that the officers stationed at Serrekunda police station have forced the doors of seven rooms open while conducting their search.
Broken doors and windows were shown to this reporter when he visited the home on 16 February.
An eyewitness, Ansu Sanyang said that a group of men in plain clothes who identified themselves as DLEA walked into their compound on Wednesday, 15 February around 12 noon and started searching the whole place. He added that when he (Sanyang) enquired from the officers as to what they were looking for, the officers responded to him that they were tipped that residents in that compound sell cannabis.
‘‘They were searching all over the compound. I told them nobody in our family has ever smoked or sold cannabis but they still insisted, alleging that they were informed by someone that cannabis is sold by some residents in our compound,’’ he explained.
Mr. Sanyang, added that the doors of 7 rooms were forced open while their occupants were away. “The floors of our bathroom were dug into. This is so heartbreaking, and that is why we want the general public to know and the new government to conduct an investigation on such inhuman treatment we received from the officers,’’ he lamented.
Adama Ngum, another resident explained that since the officers started their search she could not cook lunch until around 2pm. She said that her room was also searched. She added that the officers made remarks that were uncalled for. She said they left without finding anything.
Mrs. Ngum maintains that the officers have to pay back for the damages they caused and she calls on the new government to look into the issue as such has never happened in their family.
An attempt to reach the Police PRO was unsuccessful but the assistant PRO promised to get back to us after his enquiry.
