While it is important to condemn the barbaric attitude of attacking security men at the point of discharging their official duties , I sincerely think it is also important to say few things about the Imasayi incident and to emphasize the need for cautions from both sides of the security men and the civilian populace in order to avoid similar future occurrences in our communities.

As usual, there are some operational lapses in the entire scenario if the stories we heard about the incident are sufficiently true.

From what we gathered, the Task force team came on a tip off to burst a store where some smuggled bags of rice were kept. This of course was part of the operational duties of the Task force and no sane and law abiding persons could have prevented them from carrying out the operation. The point some of us are making however, is that in enforcing the law and through such a high risk operation, our security men must by all standard bring in Professionalism to play. Shooting sporadically to the point of hitting innocent lives in the course of carrying out such a task is equally condemnable.

 Obviously, the security team ought to have known that there will always be some levels of civil reactions to such seizures in any community . They must have planned the operation in such a way to avoid maximum use of force and if they have to with some maturity and cautions .

Imasai to the best of our knowledge is not a border town where smuggling activities take place. Whoever brought those bags of rice to that community did not conjure them there, he must have traveled some not less than 50 to 70 kilometres passing through multiple checkpoints where these same security men were employed to guard against smuggling of those products. The understanding is that the smuggler of those bags of rice as the case may be must have paid his way through the roads where these security men who are now creating the hoolabaloo to seize the merchandise operate.

It was learnt that the people reacted when stray bullets hit two people including a female secondary school student who according to information died later in an hospital. Nobody seems to be talking about the action that brought about the "negative reactions" that claimed the life of that inspector who was killed in the course of carrying out an official duty.

We need to face the truth, it is either the slain inspector or his other colleagues have acted wrongly and unprofessionally one way or the other while carrying out the operation . Why leaving him behind at the mercy of the irate mob who were attracted to the scene of the incident by the sporadic shootings by the officers of the JTF while making the seizure . Why did his other colleagues flee from the trouble spot at that critical time leaving the young man behind , why ?

As far as I'm concerned ,the ugly incident that took place in Imasayi on that day was avoidable if the JTF team had acted more professionally and with relative cautions. One can imagine how dastardly the inspector was killed having been left stranded at the scene by his other colleagues.

It is usually very sad to see people dying in such avoidable circumstance . As it is the loss of lives of the victims have become personal liabilities of their families, this is why everyone in all situations must act wisely when confronted with certain incidents and actions .

We will continue to appeal to our government to take further and appropriate measures to train Security Officers well in the acts of carrying out security duties in a civil society before posting them out on such duties. This will help to avoid the incessant unfortunate incidents of civil strife and of loss of lives and properties.

May the souls of those who died in the unfortunate incident rest in peace.