Despite the excesses of Dr. Turad Senesie, the Minister of Lands, President Bio has not seen it fit to show him the exit door, much to the dismay of many Sierra Leoneans.
The apparent silence of the President adds further reason for concern, as the Minister continues to violate the property rights of citizens with impunity. This silence has been interpreted by many as a tacit endorsement of those ills by the father of the nation, who swore to protect the Constitution and the rights of citizens. This indiscriminate and constant reclamation of private land and its conversion into State land by the Minister and his team, even when it’s crystal clear by records maintained at both the Ministry and the Registrar General’s office that they are private properties, calls for serious investigation by the ACC, but unfortunately, the Commission seems to be giving deaf ears to the cries of the people.
The fact that the Minister and team find solace in repossessing property of private individuals and transforming same into state property, raises concern over the right of citizens to possess land.
Since assuming the capacity as Lands Minister, Turad Senesie has been stepping on the toes of peaceful land owners, and opening the floodgates for land corruption by robbing “Peter to pay Paul”.
The Minister seems to find pleasure in dispossessing legitimate property of law-abiding citizens and converting them into State land, which are then sold to already waiting buyers known to them, orchestrated by their henchmen, among whom is the notorious Mr. Noah. Embolden by the silence of the President over such activities, illegal land repossession is now the order of the day, as the Minister and team violate private land ownership under the guise of reclaiming ‘State Land’, and making hefty returns out of it. The Minister has been using the land reclamation tactics to legalize his action, as it has been the normal pattern for past and present Ministers of Lands.
It could be recalled that when Denis Sandy was Minister of Lands, he transformed the Ministry into a hub for business, targeting private properties of citizens and transforming them into state property, with the avowed aim of selling reclaimed property to the highest bidders that are willing to pay the price demanded for.
Sandy found solace in such acts until he was fired at that Ministry. Like Denis Sandy, Turad Senesie has been treading on the same path, but has been very diplomatic in his dealings, which has convinced many people to believing that Turad is hard to bend on the wrong path.
Skillfully embarking in such ventures, Minister Senesie is giving the President the impression that he is a clean slate and is doing a good job, while the contract holds. His interface with Alpha Conteh, a claimant of a land situated at Tokeh Village, after news broke out that the Conteh family land is a state property, clearly showed how cunning Turad Senesie is.
The normal procedure whenever a land is to be reclaimed by the Ministry of Lands, is for those occupying the land to show proof of ownership, before any further action is taken, but that has been missing in the case of Alpha Conteh’s land at Tokeh Village.
Upon hearing the news that his family land at Tokeh Village has been reclaimed by the Ministry, Alpha Conteh, a claimant, who is based in the United States of America, immediately travelled from America to Sierra Leone to tender his land documents for the Ministry’s perusal.
Upon arriving in Sierra Leone, and prior to meeting with the Minister of Lands, to whom he presented his land documentation for perusal, a man identifying himself as Mr. Noah Fornah (Who dressed himself as staff of the Ministry of Lands), contacted him through a telephone call, and prevailed on him to give him half of the property in order to strike a compromise, but Alpha refused to dance to his tune.
After that, Alpha went ahead to see Minister Senesie in order to show him proof of documentation for his family land at Tokeh Village, but the Minister refused to countenance him, stating that “all land in Sierra Leone are state lands, unless it is allocated to someone by the Ministry”. The Minister then repossessed the Conteh family land and allegedly sold it to individuals in high places, including senior police officers, among others.
During an exclusive interview with Alpha Conteh, a claimant and Sierra Leonean based in the United States of America about the land in question; he explained all that transpired, starting from when he purchased the land, 12 years ago, from one Alhaji Slowe, the former Tokeh Headman, and down to what happened in the recent past, where his land was repossessed and allegedly sold to certain individuals, who are currently putting up protective structures on the land.
“My family bought 4 acres legally from the Former Tokeh Headman, Alhaji Slowe. The land is currently registered in my family name, as Marion Conteh, Adia Kadijah Conteh, Alpha M Conteh, and Alpha Kadin Conteh, registered as private property at the Ministry of Lands, with documentation signed by the Director of Surveys with LS2012 /19, LS2013 /19, LS2014 /19, LS3559 /12. Each of these LS numbers are one-acre property. About two years ago, I was told that the land is a Government property without any backing.
“Upon enquiry about this development, one Mr. Noah Fornah, an employee at the Ministry of Lands, asked me to meet with him at a Private Hotel to negotiate, so that I would give him half of the property to strike a compromise. I refused doing so, and in the event, the Ministry of lands ordered the demolition of the perimeter fence that enclosed my family property, and took possession of the land”, Alpha Conteh explained to Voice of Salone Newspaper, revealing how the Ministry has taken full possession of his family land and allegedly sold it to several individuals, some of whom have started putting up protective structures on the land.
Voice of Salone Newspaper contacted the Minister of Lands via WhatsApp messages, and even telephone calls to get his own side of the story, but the Minister refused to comment on the issue, even when it showed that he has read our messages.
