Tokeh Land saga…
Alpha Conteh, a Sierra Leonean based in the United States of America, is bitter with the Ministry of Lands on an issue that has to do with four acres of land at Tokeh Village, West of Freetown.
Investigation uncovered that Alpha Conteh is said to have bought the said land from one Alhaji Slowe, long years ago. His documents are legal and authentic, but the Ministry of Lands is alleged to have clandestinely bullied the young man, taking possession of his land and then selling it to other people.
During our investigation into this matter, we discovered that an official at Lands Ministry by the name Noah Mansaray is alleged to have earlier approached Conteh, demanding that he surrenders some portion of his land to him; a request Conteh rejected on the grounds that his documents, as well as processes and procedures in acquiring the said land were legal. Konteh’s refusal to surrender some portion of his land to Noah Mansaray, caused him serious headache. What happened will surprise readers, as despite providing all relevant and authentic documents in relation to the land at Tokeh, Noah Mansaray, with help from the Lands Minister, Dr. Turad Senesie, clandestinely bullied the young man and took possession of his land, and then gave it to one Jabbie, who happens to be a relative of First Lady Fatima Bio. Konteh, whilst in the United States of America, has been seeking justice, but his concerns and cries have fallen on deaf ears.
In an interview with the Ministry, Dr. Turad Senesie claimed that the land in question was state land and that Konteh has no right to lay claim to it. Minister Senesie challenged journalists that he will not back down or reverse his decision on the said issue, pointing out that the ministry has documents to show that the land is a state land. When asked about how then was Konteh’s documents registered at the Lands Ministry, Registrar General at Roxy and other government offices dealing with Land issues, Minister Senesie said that he cares less, and that his conviction from the document in his possession speaks to the reality that the land belongs to the state.
Recent revelations are that Noah Mansaray, who was the one that deceived the Minister into believing that the land is a state land, has been transferred to the provinces, when investigation and findings unearth that the same Noah Mansaray clandestinely took possession of somebody’s land and sold it to another person. Our source disclosed that the person, whose land he took, had close connection to the powers that be, and that the issue was brought up at State Lodge, causing Noah and the Minister to face an embarrassing situation. This, according to our investigation, did not go down well with the Minister, who, report states, gave instruction for Noah to be transferred to the provinces.
Despite efforts being made by Alpha and his family to secure his land, we discovered that on instructions from the Ministry of Lands, some structures are being built on the said land, with those in charge laying claims to the said property. “This is a case of injustice”, said a prominent Sierra Leonean. “How can the Minister of Lands use his office to unlawfully and illegally take possession of Lands that belong to private individuals? The government needs to wake up and President Bio must ensure Sierra Leoneans in the Diaspora are protected. They too are contributing hugely towards the country’s economic growth. We should not do things to discourage them, but things that we strongly believe could be of support and encouragement to them,” a social commentator remarked.