By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara

Sierra Leone’s Legal Aid Board threw a rare spotlight on Inspector General of Police (IGP) William Fayia Sellu on Thursday, praising his transformative leadership during a courtesy visit to Police Headquarters on George Street, Led by Executive Director Fatmata Claire Carlton-Hanciles, the Board lauded Sellu for steering the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) toward discipline and trust a shift that’s supercharging justice for ordinary citizens.

Your leadership’s a game-changer, Carlton-Hanciles told Sellu, the SLP’s our backbone your reforms make our work smoother, faster, fairer, she credited Sellu’s push for professionalism with easing the Board’s mission: delivering legal aid to Sierra Leoneans too broke to hire  lawyers, a lifeline born from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s call over a decade ago.

The Board is no small player as its partnership with the police has slashed legal snarls, sped up justice, and cooled conflicts. Carlton-Hanciles didn’t stop at thanks; she announced a 10-year anniversary bash, complete with a football match pitting Legal Aid against SLP, plus public campaigns to cement ties across the justice sector.

Sellu, visibly moved, leaned into the moment, you’re not just supporters you’re holding us to account, he said, we’re pivoting from force to service people first, his vision’s clear a police outfit that listens, serves, and builds faith, not fear, he pledged the SLP’s full muscle behind the Board’s work, from anniversary events to everyday justice.

The visit wasn’t just warm words. It sealed a pact cops and counsellors united for equity and peace. As the group snapped a photo, the message was plain: when police reform meets legal aid, Sierra Leone wins.