Man Faces Four Years in Prison for Illegal Deforestation in Peninsula Park
Osman Tolo Sesay A man has been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison or a fine of Le30,000 for illegally entering the Western Area Peninsula National Park and clearing forest for charcoal production, according to the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA).
Mohamed Charlie, a resident of Baw Baw, was found guilty on two counts of illegal entry and illegal deforestation at Mambo by His Worship Magistrate Solomon Christian Kekurah of the York Magistrate Court. The offences fall under Section 7 of the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972.
According to the NPAA, Charlie was arrested on September 12 during a joint patrol involving its officers and officials from the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change. The arrest followed intelligence reports linking him to charcoal production that had caused significant environmental damage in the Mambo section of the park.
Dauda Laigay Bangura, the NPAA’s Head of Law Enforcement and Compliance, commended the Environmental and Wildlife Crime Unit of the Lumley Police Division and the judiciary for the swift handling of the case. He said the proceedings were concluded after just two court appearances.
Bangura described the sentence as one of the most significant penalties secured by the authority in recent years, saying it should serve as a warning to individuals engaged in illegal activities within protected areas.
He added that the NPAA had intensified enforcement operations across the Western Area Peninsula National Park, leading to multiple prosecutions and convictions related to illegal charcoal production and other environmental offences.
According to Bangura, a recent operation conducted with support from the Conservation Trust Fund resulted in the confiscation of more than 470 bags of charcoal and the conviction of 24 suspects.
He further disclosed that the authority had secured 67 convictions in environmental cases, including 51 within the Western Area Peninsula National Park. Three cases remain before the courts, while four others are under investigation, he said.
However, Bangura expressed concern over attacks on NPAA personnel carrying out enforcement duties. He cited a recent incident at Aberdeen Creek in which a game guard was seriously injured in an alleged machete attack.
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the Aberdeen Creek incident, and investigations are ongoing, according to Bangura.
Despite the risks, Bangura said the NPAA would continue its patrols, surveillance and prosecution efforts to tackle encroachment, illegal deforestation and other environmental crimes in protected areas across Sierra Leone.
The Western Area Peninsular National Park must be protected. If we lose the forests, we lose the sources of water supply. Then Freetown will be doomed. No water, no life.