A Press Release circulating on Social Media, issued by the Director of Research at the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Yakama Manty Jones caught my attention. Going through the contents I became more interested in her narration of how she was, on the 9th February 2022, physically attacked in her office by one “former consultant to the Ministry”. But what I became very much interested in was the aspect of the Press Release which reads, “The perpetrator walked into one of our most hallowed government buildings with his mother and beat me simply for doing my job as a public servant.”

I started wondering how it could happen in that way; somebody just stormed into the office of someone else and physically launched an attack on another person. It immediately dawned on me that there was something much deeper in the issue than what could be deciphered from Dr. Yakama’s Press Release. It was that feeling that prompted me to decide conducting a thorough investigation into the matter in order to actually get an objective account of what led to her been physically abused or attacked in her office. Using overt and covert strategies in the investigation, the main strands embedded in the whole saga started emerging which will form the basis of this article.

However, before going forward in what could be considered as a very contentious issue, let it be made clear that this medium will only lay bare the facts and will not in any way be judgmental in a case that is said to be before the courts in order not to prejudice the outcome.

It was understood that the said perpetrator, Mohamed Kelfala, a former employee of the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank (SLCB), who is a Data Scientist, was contracted by the Ministry of Finance on a Consultancy basis to oversee and ensure the proper functionality of the Ministry’s Information Technology System for one year. His immediate supervisor was Dr. Yakama Manty Jones to whom he was mandated to report.

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His new contract was promising as he was hinted that based on performance there was the likelihood that he will be offered a permanent job at the Ministry. So excited was Mohamed for his new opportunity and knowing full well that he could not hold the two jobs at the same time decided to resign from SLCB to focus more on his new assignment.

After the first month on the job as Consultant his salary was not paid in time and only received it in the second going to the third week of the next month. Initially, Mohamed thought that since it was a new job there must have been some procedural bureaucratic paper work that could have been responsible for the delay.

It must be noted that an aspect of the agreement of the contract stipulated that the Data Consultant must submit his monthly reports before being paid his monthly salaries. From what was learnt at every point in time he timely submitted his reports but nothing changed in the delay of payment of his monthly emoluments.

The situation became such that whenever Mohamed raised the point of the delay with his supervisor, Dr Yakama Manty Jones she will give instructions for the process to be expedited but lamentably nothing positive happened in terms of timely payment to take place leaving the Data Consultant embittered amidst the reality that he has enormous family responsibilities to take care of. There was an instance when Dr. Yakama instructed another Ministry of Finance employee, only known by the name of Kommeh, to expedite the process only to be told by the latter, when nothing transpired, that he was having an headache and so he instructed another colleague to assist which did not happen.

It was during this back and forth delay in payment that Dr Yakama Manty Jones proposed to Mohamed Kelfala, in a cajoling manner, to design a website for the Ministry of Finance to which he consented. However, that was not part of the terms of the original contract but an extra work for which he was supposed to be paid differently. The work was done to the satisfaction of Dr Yakama and by extension the Ministry. However, the outstanding payments, for the original contract and the additional work, were not forthcoming leading to more frustration on the part of the Consultant.

With the feeling that he has hit a Brickwall, Mohamed thought of instituting a legal action against the Ministry but was informed that such could only be possible after giving the Ministry three months notice. He then decided to withhold the Ministry’s computer in which all the relevant information are in.

Fed up with the way things are going he discussed the issue with his family members. His mother, Madam Balu Bangura, who was against him withholding the Ministry’s computer and also taking recourse to legal action recommended him handing over the computer to the Ministry and accompanying her son to approach Dr.Yakama and plead with her to see reason to expedite his payments so that they will offset certain financial obligations. To that the son consented.

It was while they undertook that move that a bitter argument ensued in Dr. Yakama Manty Jones’ office with the exchange of strong words which ultimately degenerated into a physical fracas.

Both Mohamed and his mother were arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department where the former was charged with wounding and causing grievous bodily harm. However, from what was learnt during the investigation no wounding took place.

Mohamed was detained at the CID for over one week before the matter was charged to court. On his first appearance, Mohamed Kelfala, was denied bail and he is currently remanded at the Pa Demba Road Male Correctional Centre in Freetown. It was further understood that the Police are now trying to institute a charge against the mother for instigation.