The Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, Joseph Lamboi is reportedly sick and undergoing treatment in the United Kingdom.

Mr Lamboi is on a one-year contract after reaching retirement age last year. Report says his extension would end in October when he would finally step down.

Sometime in March this year, Mr Lamboi was involved in a gruesome accident which caused him to be flown to Ghana for medical treatment. He responded to treatment and after feeling better he returned to Freetown and resumed duties. His latest illness is suspected to be a relapse from the injuries he suffered as a result of the accident. It is not yet known whether he would return to office after his recovery.

During his absence, correctional officers have been complaining about lateness of food supplies both for the inmates and the officers. The officers also complain that they did not get supplies of rain gears (raincoat and boots).

Plans for new recruitment and promotion have been stalled during his absence. The effect of this is that the man next in command Mr Turay has not been officially appointed as Deputy Director General and so this does not make him a clear successor to Mr Lamboi. As such, the appointment of a new Director General after Mr Lamboi would be strictly political.

In any case, the absence of Mr Joseph Lamoi has not stopped the Board of Directors to announce transfers within the service. Also, officers who had been due to retire have received letters to that effect from the Director General of Human Resources Management Office (HRMO).

One important transfer done in Mr Lamboi’s absence is the one affecting the human resource manager at the correctional headquarters at New England.

He is Chief Superintendent Lamin Bangura, who has been posted to the Northern Province to serve as regional commander with a wealth of experience from headquarter.