By Kelfala Kargbo
Freetown, 4th May, 2026 – Chief Minister David Moinina Sengeh has clarified concerns over the composition of Sierra Leone’s newly established State Protection Service (SPS), confirming that active police officers will be seconded into the elite unit but will serve independently during their tenure.
Speaking to journalists shortly after Parliament passed the National Security and Central Intelligence Act 2026, Sengeh explained that the SPS will draw personnel from the police force alongside new recruits with specialized skills not available in existing security institutions.
“The SPS will include people from the police force and will recruit other people for specific things the other forces don’t have,” he said, stressing that officers seconded to the SPS will temporarily cease to be part of the police force. “They will be there for a specific time and once their term ends, they will go back to their parent force.”
The SPS is mandated to provide protection for the President, Vice President and their immediate families, as well as the Speaker of Parliament, Chief Justice, Ministers, Supreme Court Judges, former heads of state, and other designated VIPs. However, the law does not explicitly define who qualifies under the “designated VIP” category, leaving room for interpretation.
Sengeh argued that previous arrangements for protecting national leaders were unsustainable because they lacked legal clarity. He said the SPS, now backed by law, would guarantee continuity and professionalism in safeguarding state leadership.
According to the Act, the SPS will operate directly under the purview of the President, who retains the authority to appoint members to the security council when deemed necessary.
The clarification comes amid public debate over the scope and independence of the SPS, with officials insisting that the new framework will strengthen leadership security while avoiding duplication of roles with the police and military.
