Cases of police misconduct are legion in Ivory Coast. Even significant ivorian figureheads are not safe from the misconduct of policemen in this country. Pokou Laurent, the former international Ivorian soccer player has experienced the brutality of ivorian police forces.On Saturday 12th April 2008, Ivorians were disappointed to learn that the international famous soccer player, Pokou Laurent, got beaten up by four policemen, a week ago, at a check point on one of the main roads leading to Abidjan, the economic hub of the country. This sad news spread out when the national TV channel showed the dishevelled face of this “soccer pioneer” with swellings.
Pokou Laurent is a former international Ivorian soccer player, famous at home and abroad, and very often acknowledged as the “Ivorian soccer pioneer” when Drogba Didier is acknowledged as the “Ivorian soccer hero”. Pokou Laurent still was the best African striker (with 14 goals) the African Cup of Nations competition has never registered until the very last African Cup of Nations soccer competition hold in Ghana this year, 2008.
On April 6th, Pokou Laurent was like a toy in the hands of four policemen who beat him up. He missed being killed for no charge at all. At the check point, he was asked to get off his car and to show his ID card. He complied with this demand in a polite way. He thought that just after the regular check up, he would get the authorization to drive away. Unfortunately, as his attitude did not lend to the racket practice policemen are accustomed to, he got beaten up seriously. When he was asked to describe what happened to him, he himself asserted: “policemen said they would take my life off”.
Cases of police misconduct are legion in Ivory Coast. No one is safe from the misconduct of policemen in this country where police is almost lethal than the disease it pretends to cure.
Selay M.K.
1 comment:
This is sad, even in Cote d'Ivoire where grave police misconduct, blatant corruption and the lack of respect for human life have become a daily affair. Unfortunately, I know those so-called officers will not be judged and this incident, like so many before it and, unfortunately so, many more to come, will go unpunished.
Good luck and keep hope alive!
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