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The Corruption at the Ministry of Lands have reached a crescendo that needs the intervention of the Anti Corruption Commission. This high place corruption should be discouraged if really the ACC wants to succeed in the fight against grafts.
Citizens are now calling on the ACC to spring into action over the high placed corruption at the Ministry of Lands who has been hiding under the feather of state land law to cease undue advantage on peaceful citizens who has acquired property through legitimate means.
According to Investigation, the Minister of Lands, Turad Sennesie, is in the habit of going after private properties and transformed them as Government property and sell it to the highest bidders. Of recent, according to investigation, the Minister has dispossessed 4 acres of private land from the Conteh Family at Tokeh Village and distributed it for a whopping sum of money to interested individuals.
The land in question, according to the master plan, conveyances and chart from the Ministry of lands, is belonging to the Alpha Conteh, Kadijah Conteh and Marion Conteh. The document clearly shows that the land is a private property and not government as claimed by the Ministry.
Alpha Conteh, one of the claimant who is a Sierra Leonean based in the United States explained how he bought the land in 2011 to one Alhaji Slowe, former Headman of Tokeh village. Before entering into the transaction, Alpha said, he went to the Ministry of Lands to crosscheck the land document and an assurance was given to him that the land is a private property of Alhaji Slowe.
Alpha said he went ahead and purchased the land and therefore changed all the documents appertaining the land in his family name. “After purchasing the land in 2011, it took a long period before the documents were signed by the Ministry”, he said, and thrown an open challenge to the Ministry of Lands over claim of government ownership of the land situated along peninsular road, stressing that he has all the documents relating to the 4 acres of land owned by his family members including master plan, Alpha said when he realized that his land has been tampered with by some officials of the Ministry, he went to the Ministry and was directed to meet with one Noah Fofanah whom requested for a meeting with him at a private hotel to negotiate and to give half of the land to strike a compromise. The claimant said he refused to dance to the tune of Mr. Noah and as result of that, the Ministry ordered a bulldozer to destroy his perimeter fence in the property.
To show his proof of ownership for the land, Alpha said, he went to see the Minister of Lands, Dr. Turad Senesie. Upon his meeting with him, the Minister did not even bother to look at his land document to ascertain his rightful ownership, but left him flabbergasted at his utterance that the Ministry has the right to destroy his perimeter fence and take away his legally owned property because all lands in Sierra Leone is owned by Government except one that is granted to someone by the government itself.
Conteh believes that his right has been trampled upon and has filed a case to seek redress over the matter in court. When contacted the Minister of Lands, Turad Senesie, to sound his views on the issues via WhatsApp messages followed by a telephone calls, he refused to respond to us.
No portion of land is to small to be taken from anyone illegally. Please 🙏 let land rights issues be treated with all sincerity.
There is no gain saying that this is selfishly motivated to give the Lands Minister a bad image. If you so believe in your documentations as mentioned by this “guest contributor,” then you should go with those to the court. Thank you.