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The Sierra Leone Police in Kailahun district have arrested a truck loaded with mosquito nets that were intended for distribution to the community. The arrest took place on Friday, February 23rd, 2024, at approximately 9:40 PM at the Bailu Crossing Point, located between Kailahun district and Guinea.
The truck, a Iveco with registration number RG_Al_9222, was found to be carrying 29 bundles of mosquito nets, each containing 50 nets, for a total of 1,450 nets. According to the operations team led by Officer Abubakar Abdulai, the arrest was made based on intelligence received from the community.
Abdulai further stated that the truck had foreign registration plates and the driver spoke Madigo fluently, raising suspicion. He added that the vehicle owner, Yusuf Kamara, and the storekeeper are currently in police custody assisting with the investigation. The case has been transferred to the Regional Police office in Kenema for further investigation.
This incident comes amidst the ongoing bed net distribution campaign launched by the District Health Management Team (DHMT) in collaboration with the Social Mobilization Unit on February 22nd, 2024. The initiative aims to combat the high prevalence of malaria in the country.
Sulaiman Kanneh Abdulai, the district Malaria focal person at the DHMT, revealed that 392,000 bed nets were allocated to Kailahun district and distributed at the chiefdom level based on population. However, after two days of distribution, it was discovered that one of the distribution centers in Kailahun town was missing its designated nets. The arrest of the truck provided the first lead in the missing nets’ whereabouts.
The Sierra Leone Police have reassured the Kailahun community of their commitment to maintaining security and protecting the lives and property of residents. They are urging anyone with information about the missing nets or any other suspicious activity to come forward.
