Reports reaching this medium, states that police at the Bo East Division have arrested at least seven vehicles loaded with rice to be transported in the neighbouring Liberia. The arrest of the said vehicles loaded with bags of rice by the aforesaid Police Division was to prevent Sierra Leone from going through a similar food shortage that is in Liberia and to also ensure that the government’s effort towards food sufficiency in the country is not frustrated.

The report further disclosed that Liberia is currently going through food insufficiency and as a result, many traders in Sierra Leone, especially in the Southern region are buying a large quantity of rice to be clandestinely transported to neighbouring Liberia.

Speaking to this medium, the Local Unit Commander, Bo East Division, Chief Superintendent of Police, Sia Bernadette Sandi (CSP) explained that the government’s continual and consistent commitment to making sure there is food in the country amid the global challenges has propelled them to make the security watertight to prevent people from taking rice out of Sierra Leone in a clandestine way, adding, “I don’t want police at the checkpoints to be accused of neglecting their responsibilities and lack of concerns on national issues ”
She further mentioned that, before the arrest, police at the Bo East Division arrested six other vehicles with rice, but due to the intervention of some stakeholders, they were released. she added that they have arrested at least seven vehicles again loaded with bags of rice heading to Liberia.

“Upon investigation, they tried to pass through some stakeholders, but I made it clear to them that my superiors are aware of the issue and there is nothing I could do about it.” Sandi maintained.

She further pointed out that Ambassador Eddi Mansallay, to Liberia in the early hours of Monday, 7th October 2022 visited and interrogated her in her office in a bid to know the reasons for the arrest of the seven vehicles loaded with bags of rice and further pleaded with her to release the vehicles on the point that Liberia aided Sierra Leone with food and other things at the time Sierra Leone was in need and that people are visiting her office everyday to alow them to transport the rice to Liberia, but advised the police to make time and later allow them to transport the rice to Liberia because they are our neighbour and we must be of help to them in times of need.

I asked him to talk to my Commander AIG South, and after sometime, I received a command from him to release the apprehended vehicles with the bags of rice to be transported to Liberia. Sia Bernadette Sandi however pleaded with Sierra Leoneans to carefully manage the little they have.

Meanwhile, some residents of the southern region and the country as a whole has expressed their dissatisfaction over the attitude of some key position holders in the country of aiding and abating the clandestine transportation of rice to neighbouring Liberia at the pretext of trying to be of help to them.