Government Delegation Meets Resistance Over Land Deal
Diang Chiefdom in Koinadugu District was thrown into fresh controversy on Thursday, August 21, 2025, when a high-powered Government delegation, including Finance Minister Ahmed Fantamadi Bangura, Minister of Lands, Dr. Turad Senessie, and Minister of Local Government, Tamba Lamina, visited the area to sign a concession agreement for the Kasafoni Iron Ore deposit.
Their visit was met with angry demonstrations from residents, many of them youths, who carried placards accusing the Government of sidelining the rightful landowners. Protesters openly rejected any new deal being promoted by the delegation, describing it as an attempt to undermine their rights.
What has now escalated the situation is the fact that over 100 landowners in Diang have already signed a binding lease agreement with the Gento Group of Companies. That agreement, they argue, is not only valid under Sierra Leone’s Mines and Minerals Development Act, but has also been activated because Gento has fulfilled its obligations, including the payment of surface rent, a legal prerequisite before any mining activity can proceed.
By contrast, the Government’s move has been widely criticized, because it signed a separate arrangement with only the Paramount Chief, Sheku Magbo III and his council, excluding the majority of landowning families.
Analysts stress that such a step creates a clear legal contradiction.
“Two agreements for a single piece of land can only produce conflict,” one legal analyst remarked. “Since Gento has already secured a lease with the consent of over 100 landowners and has paid surface rent, the company now has every right to take the matter to court.”
Adding to the tension, the Government delegation, instead of engaging openly with landowners, held a closed-door session with the Paramount Chief.
Faced with the strong resistance, the delegation abandoned its initial plan of signing a lease agreement and instead spoke of entering into a “concession.” But that semantic shift has not convinced the landowners, who remain adamant that their existing deal with Gento is the only one with both legal and moral standing.
The dispute has since gained political attention in Freetown. A petition has been presented in Parliament and the Chief Minister has reportedly advised that the process be suspended until clarity is established.
For the people of Diang, however, the issue is far deeper than paperwork. It touches on ownership, dignity and trust. They see Gento as a partner already delivering development projects, including roads, a water dam and a hospital, while viewing the Government’s intervention as disruptive, divisive and potentially unlawful.
With two competing agreements now hanging over the same land, analysts believe the conflict is bound to escalate into a legal showdown. If that happens, the Government could find itself in a difficult position, while Gento Group is expected to stand on solid legal ground to defend its rights.
The Government delegation will subsequently visit Dansogoia and Sambaia chiefdoms to sign concessions for the Kasafoni land, as it did in Diang Chiefdom.