The rampant uses of the military in internal security matters that have to protection of lives and property in a state to a very large extent exposed the military especially when the country is now so peaceful.
Military personnel are always brought in to help the internal security the police when they barely prove incapable of handling certain security situations as our authorities do whenever they evoke some critical protective measures where necessary.
Apart from such, during the eras of previous administrations under peaceful coexistence, one hardly sees military personnel in public, which exposes them to the vulnerable public with fears.
Nowadays, under the hegemony of the democratically elected Commander-In-Chief of the Republic and peace oriented expert, President Julius Maada Bio and the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party-SLPP rule, we have come to see the perambulations of armed and armless military personnel almost everywhere in the country as if Sierra Leone has speedily reverted to another military rule under the guise of democracy.
Freetown is a case in point where in the city centre and other public places are always scenes of military deployments, mostly with arms. Most people are not familiar with military presence and are always troubled whenever they see and armed military personnel.
RSLAF personnel either controlling traffics or showing people where to walk on the footpaths of the roads are everywhere. Others on the mask up operation appear more aggressive with civilians and most times creating fears in the minds of vulnerable people, which is actually not good for peace at all.
The authorities starting with the powers that be know very well that too much of armed personnel deployments not in public places, with arms or is not peace, as stability is not just about the hushed of fire arms, but has a lot to do with the creation of a peaceful environment to give much credence peace and stability of a nation.
What we cannot accept in believing with the present administration is that there is peace in Sierra Leone and gone are the days when the country was at war and the proliferations of arms and military personnel everywhere in the country.
And recent news of the deployment of military as guards at correctional centre when there are already correctional officers well trained to secure the prison is not impressive because they are best placed in their normal deployments and in their brigades to handle external security issues, rather than deploying them to guard criminals.
The military also have so much to offer if the authorities properly utilized the various units of the forces, which government must look into now going forward, especially in the areas of engineering, agriculture, higher and technical education and several other professional military engagements.
However for the sake of peace and the safety of our peaceful people military presence at public places including correctional centre, our streets, markets and roads must be reversed by authorities and replace them with the police whose responsibilities have to do with handlings of internal security of the state. And not the military as it is now.
