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By Alusine Fullah His Excellency Julius Maada Bio has made new appointments in the National Youth Commission of Sierra Leone. The appointments follow thus: Mr. Ahmed Atata Mansaray Esq.-Commissioner-National Youth Commission Mr. Emerson Kamara – Deputy Commissioner-National Youth Commission Mr. Mohamed Onanah Jalloh- Executive Director- National Youth Service Mr. Paul Saffa Tapema- Deputy Executive Director-National Youth Service
By Feima Sesay Abubakarr Conteh a house help was on Thursday 17 August 2023 sent to prison by Magistrate of the Freetown Magistrate Court no 1 Magistrate Mark Ngeba for alledgely stealing over twenty four thousand Leones from his boss Nabillahi Kamara The accused was arraigned before the court on a count charge of larceny in dwelling house contrary to section 13(1) of the larceny act of 1916. The police alleged that, the accused on Wednesday 9 August 2023 at PWD quarter in Freetown, stole the sum of twenty-four thousand, three hundred and thirty new Leones (NLe 24,330) property of Nabillahi Musa Kamara. After the charges were read and explain to the accused in court, he pleaded not guilty to the offense. The witness Nabillahi Musa Kamara led in evidence by ASP Ibrahim Mansaray, said he is a public servant and recognized the accused as his house help who has been working for him since 2022. The witness said he kept the sum of twenty-four thousand, three hundred and thirty new Leones in an envelope inside one of his bag and he usually checks the money every day. He said on the 9 August 2023 in the afternoon hours, he was at home and he decided to check for the money in his bag but unfortunately could not find it. He further that he raised alarm about the theft and his younger sister Kadija Kamara told him that she heard his room door closed and when she checked she was surprised to see the accused coming out of the room. He said when the alarm was raised the accused went out and later return to the house. He said upon the accused return he asked him about the money but at first denied and later admitted that he took the money. The witness said he then asked the accused to return the money but told him that he gave the money to one Mohamed who lives at mountain Cut He said he then took the accused to the CID headquarters and he made a report and later made statement to the police. He said the accused at the police station was asked by the police to show where Mohamed was but he refused. The accused was unrepresented in court and so he cross examined the witness by himself. He was remanded in custody until 24 August 2023.
Alusine Fullah The Sierra Leone Police has condemned persistent perpetration of violence against certain individuals in some communities in the guise of exercising justice. The press release states: The Sierra Leone Police (SLP) is concerned about recent trends depicting a situation of persistent perpetration of violence meted out against certain individuals in some communities, in the guise of exercising justice. These violent acts ‘in the guise of exercising justice’ culminate in what can best be described as extra-judicial killings of suspected thieves or miscreants in some local communities. The SLP views these acts as homicidal and a serious miscarriage of justice. It is against this backdrop that the SLP seeks to remind everyone that mob or jungle justice has no place in any decent society, considering that it has serious and far-reaching implications for the peace, safety, and security of the State. Mob justice in Sierra Leone is out rightly intolerable, given the fact that the position of the law is clear: no person has the right to unreasonably and unjustifiably take the life of another person – either suspected to have committed a crime or being about to do so. It is to be noted that Section 23 (4) of the Constitution of Sierra Leone (Act No. 6 of 1991) presumes everyone to be innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. The SLP would therefore like to reiterate that the only statutory body authorized to investigate suspected criminals is the Police. The SLP wishes clearly state that individuals who are engaged or have been engaged in acts viewed as mob justice in various communities across the country must stop and refrain from doing so now. They should know that these acts are not only hostile but barbaric as well. It is either they desist now from such offensive acts or be ready to face the full force of the law! The SLP has encouraged everyone to report any incident of suspected or arrested criminals to the nearest police station for investigations and subsequent prosecutions, as prescribed by law.
By Ishmael Kindama Dumbuyaat The high rate at which dredge mining on our rivers and river beds across the country is being carried out mostly pioneered by foreign nationals especially Ghanaians and Liberians is very alarming. If robust actions are not taken now, this will lead to a devastating effect in few years if not now for the present and generations yet unborn. As welcoming as it is, there is an Agency that has decided to take the bull by its horn despite confrontations by a cross section of community people/traditional leaders and few other members of the public. But this is not something that the dedicated leadership of the Environment Protection Agency of Sierra Leone (EPASL) is ever ready to pay credence to. As this menace continues, the Executive Chairman of the EPA-SL, Dr. Bondi Gevao through the approval of the Board and Management of the Agency have procured two high speed Jetskies to surf within the waters and chase out these illegal dredge miners within our water ways. Before now, when the team of EPA officials from the Field Operations and Extension visits these dredge miners on their various sites, they could easily maneuver their ways and move away to other points deeper in the rivers where the team could not easily penetrate. Sometimes they can shame on the team and continue their illegal and odd activities. But with the presence of these Jetskies, this is now a thing of the past. Just after the procurement of the Jetskies, the Agency hired the services of technical personnel to train a dedicated special team at the Agency to conduct raids on our water ways. Like the US Special Forces and Navy SEALS, this dedicated team of the Agency can swim, dive, surf, and handle all difficult terrains relative to the destruction/burning of dredges that could be spotted within our river ways. To test the fronts within a duration of three weeks starting from the 7th-26th of August 2023, the Special Team of the EPASL is telling these illegal dredge miners that the days of reckoning are here. The operation in close collaboration with the republic of Sierra Leone police started in Boajibu in the Sewa river in the Kenema District and slightly stretched to Sumbuya Town in the Bo District where a significant number of dredges were destroyed/burnt down. Base on a June 2021 Presidential Directive and order to curb all illegal dredge mining activities on our waterways, the main objective of this special operation is to destroy all dredges and if possible arrest any foreign national we could lay hands on or set eyes upon. From the Sewa, Tia and Jong Rivers in the South, the team heads to the North in the tributaries of the Pampana river where the team successfully destroyed twenty dredges in one location and were intensively conducting dredge mining. In this location, immediately the dredge miners saw our team, they activated their dredges and started running away from the team. But with the help of the Jetskies, they were overpowered within all the locations they landed and hid their dredges. Whilst we still have more locations to visit and crack down on all dredge mining activities, as of today Thursday 17th August 2023, the team has successfully established eighty (80) dredges so far in the East, South, and Northern provinces. In most of the operations to the dredge mining sites, after the miners flew away, the team discovers traces of items belonging to foreign nationals. For instance, in Tonkolili, we discovered abandoned Ghanaian passports as well as Sierra Leone Immigration clearances to stay in the country and Sierra Leone labor cards. Aside from all these, we discovered hard drugs such as tramadol, and sexual inducement pills like Viagra and Sildenafil presumably showing indications that immoralities are taking place in nearby communities. The antibiotic drugs we saw like Rifapicillin are likely an indication that these foreign nationals are spreading sicknesses in these communities. There is a major challenge during this operation and that is the connivance of community people and landowning families with the foreign nationals who brought this type of mining in this country. The moment the saw us, in the towns, some would ride their motorbikes to the locations and informed them of our arrival. Some would also use their mobile phones to communicate with them. For instance, in Yele in the Gbonnkolenken Chiefdom we could have captured most Ghanaians but ran away after being tipped off. Dredge mining is the act of removing silt and other material from the bottom of bodies of water using suction dredges with a nozzle deep down the waterways. A placer deposit is also used in a natural watercourse or an ancient river channel. During this process, dredge mining will damage the ecology by directly affecting its physical habitat, disrupting riverine processes, and reducing the connectivity with the floodplain. Among the other many effects of dredge mining in our communities is that it also contaminates our water sources thereby causing huge problems for communities that depend on these rivers downstream. Dredge mining is very dangerous and is a type of mining which the Environment Protection Agency had never and will never issue any Environment Impact Assessment license for in Sierra Leone as has always been demonstrated by the Executive Chairman, Dr. Bondi Gevao. Our operations these weeks have received a commendation from many environment-loving people and on our social media platforms with requests to add more efforts in curbing dredge mining from our waterways. The Chief Minister, Dr. David Moinina Sengeh had already appreciated the efforts of the EPA and its leadership in ensuring that our environment is protected from all man-made disturbances. “This operation is not going to stop. As long as the dredge miners do not stop, we are not going to stop our operations, said Dr. Gevao.
Field Staff of June 24 Election to protest against ECSL By Mustapha Dumbuya Field staff of June 24 general elections in Sierra Leone have threaten to protest nationwide against the electoral commission sierra Leone (ECSL) for non-payment of their salaries after the elections. According to press release issued by some disgruntle staff stated that the field staff who worked tirelessly to ensure a successful June 24 general elections in Sierra Leone are today expressing frustration and disappointment after being refused payment by the Sierra Leone Electoral Commission. The press release continued that few days leading to the election, staff put in every efforts to ensure that the voting process was carried out smoothly, securely, and with utmost professionalism. Despite numerous challenges and some obstacles, they displayed an unwavering commitment to serve their country and its citizens. “Now, weeks after the elections had been concluded, we the hardworking staff have been left in the lurch as the Electoral Commission refuses to pay our salaries. This has caused undue hardship and suffering for many, who have been forced to endure long periods of financial insecurity and uncertainty.” The press release explained. According to the press release that was released by field staff of the June 24 elections in Sierra Leone is now calling for the immediate payment of our salaries and if this is not quickly addressed, they will left with no options but stage a nationwide protest. The release also explained that this action will bring the entire nation to a standstill and could cause untold damage to Sierra Leone’s reputation and economic stability. It is crucial that the Electoral Commission take swift action to rectify this situation and honor its commitment to all their dedicated staff members who worked so hard for their country. The release stated that the field staff of the June 24 elections deserves nothing less than the utmost respect and calling on ECSL pay their Salary.
By Mustapha Dumbuya The Office of the National Security has denounced 46 private securities for not have valid licenses to operate in Sierra Leone. A press release from the Office National Security stated that the public is hereby informed that the under mentioned Private Security Companies (PSCS) do not have valid licenses to operate in Sierra Leone. The press release explained that these companies have therefore violated Section 31(1) of the National Security and Central Intelligence Act, 2023 (NSCIA, 2023) which states that “Subject to this Act, an individual, group of individuals or corporate entity shall not operate a private security service in Sierra Leone, unless on the authority of a license issued by the Office of National Security for that purpose:” Below is the list of the 46 companies that were denounced by ONS.
Says US ambassador, David Reimer By Mustapha Dumbuya The United States Ambassador, David Reimer has clarified the United States government’s position regarding the outcome of the June 24 general elections in Sierra Leone. In an interview with Radio Democracy on Wednesday, 17 August 2023 Ambassador Reimer said that the US government is very concerned about the irregularities and inconsistencies of the June 24 general elections that were conducted by Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL). He went further to state that US position remains US position. He said: “We have raised concerns about the integrity and credibility of the results. This is not my personal opinion, but rather the position of the US government. The US position remains the US position…” David Reimer also urged for political dialogue to resolve the ongoing crisis in Sierra Leone and appealed to the main opposition, All People’s Congress (APC) to engage in governance rather than boycotting. He said the US would not change its work “with the people of Sierra Leone”, including health programmes, but would review its government-to-government programmes, including a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact grant worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The Ambassador expressed that for a government to have the MCC Scored Card they should conduct free fair and credible elections that will reflect to the will of the people. The United State Ambassador to Sierra Leone David Reimer Asserts on the non-Acceptance of Sierra Leone’s general elections Results by United State of America and Urges for an Independent Review of the elections and Political Dialogue. “The United States is concerned about irregularities in the results that were announced by the ECSL that includes a big difference between the ECSL announced results and the parallel vote tabulation, as well as inconsistencies that were analyzed by domestic and international observers,” Reimer said. Speaking to Radio Democracy a local radio in Freetown, Ambassador Reimer emphasized that the US does not recognize the election results announced by the country’s chief electoral commissioner and outlined the implications for US-funded development programs, including the MCC Compact. Ambassador Reimer underscored the importance of democratic good governance and free and fair elections as prerequisites for US government funding. He stated that the credibility of the election results is in question and highlighted the need for an impartial review of the election process. A day after this interview, The Information Minister and Chief Minister went on Twitter challenging the Ambassador’s statements and asserting, “The government belongs to this country and the people are our bosses. We have a partnership with the US Government that understands the need to strengthen our own democratic institutions and not to undermine them,” Minister Bah said. Concluding his message, Chief Minister Sengeh reaffirmed the Sierra Leone government’s dedication to the aspirations of the United States and highlighted the importance of building relationships on a broader scale, transcending individual egos. He emphasized, “We are committed to their dreams and hopes. The relationship between our country and any other state is bigger than any single individual’s ego or specific program. Ambassador Reimer called for an independent individual, preferably from outside Sierra Leone and unaffiliated with the major political parties, to lead the review process. He emphasized that the review leader must have no family or ethnic ties to any of the political parties.
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