Why is Lands Minister still in Office?
By Thaimu Thullah
Concerned Sierra Leoneans who have been following current issues in the running of the state have again asked questions why the Minister of Lands Dr. Turad Senessie is still in office amidst the recent mini-cabinet reshuffle that saw the sacking of two ministers and other senior presidential nominees.
Sierra Leoneans can’t believe that Lands Minister Dr. Turad Senessie is still in office after all the pain he has inflicted on poor citizens. Though be the norm for many aggrieved parties on lands issues, to come to the media for redress, a sign that trust in the Judiciary is waning, especially when such matters involve top officials in the government, the latest among these is one Alpha Conteh, residing in the USA, whose land was repossessed by the Ministry of Lands, with the blessings of the Minister, Dr. Turad Senesie.
According to our investigations, most of these aggrieved and affected citizens have accused the Lands Minister, Dr. Turad Senesie, of allegedly using his position to wrongfully acquire private lands, claiming them as state lands. This has raised concerns over the blurring of the lines between public and private property ownership, and the Minister’s involvement has been seen as an abuse of power and a violation of land rights.
The implications of such behavior are significant, as it not only undermines trust in government officials, but also threatens the rights and livelihoods of private landowners. The lack of transparency in land acquisition processes can lead to disputes, conflict, and unrest within communities.
It is crucial for accountability mechanisms to be in place to ensure that public officials, including Minister Dr. Turad Senesie, adhere to legal procedures when dealing with land matters. Addressing these allegations promptly and transparently is essential to uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of citizens.
In a democratic society, it is imperative that government officials act in the best interests of the people and within the confines of the law. Any deviation from these principles must be met with scrutiny and appropriate action to prevent the abuse of power and the misappropriation of resources.
This is evident with so many complaints coming from the public accusing the Minister of bullying citizens by unlawful dispossession of their lands. A case in point has to do with one Alpha Conteh, who stays in New York, United States of America. Mr Conteh is said to have legally bought 4 acres of land at Tokeh Village from one Alhaji Slowe. Before acquiring the land, Conteh took all the necessary steps to check with the respective government agencies in charge of land acquisition, including the Lands Ministry, ensuring that due diligence was done, and was able to confirm that the land in question was a private property.
Unfortunately, after some few years, one Mr. Noah, an official at the Ministry, approached Conteh’s family in Freetown demanding that some acres of the said land be surrendered to the Ministry. This was stoutly resisted by Conteh and his family, who had the conviction that Noah was being used to illegally and unlawfully take possession of their land at Token. As if that was not enough, Noah succeeded in convincing Minister Turad Senesie to believe that the land in question was state land, without any supporting documentary evidence to back his claim. Today, Minister Turad Senessie has taken possession of the land and has given it to one Jabbie, who is well known for doing illegal land deals at the Lands Ministry. Citizens are calling on the Anti-Corruptiom Commission to turn its lens at the Lands Ministry, where they will see overwhelming evidence of corruption cases on land acquisition and the sale of private lands. They are demanding that President Bio call Minister Turad Senesie to book and put him under serious enquiries in respect of several private lands claimed as state land that have been sold to other buyers, otherwise, the Minister will end up messing up his government, as in the case of previous ministers who have headed that ministry before.
Times SL later understood that Noah, the architect of corrupt land deals at the Lands Ministry, has been transferred to the provinces, after he had allegedly connived with some officials at the ministry to illegally take possession of land belonging to somebody close to the wife of the President. It was that land saga that caused Minister Turad Senesie to believe that all Noah has been doing in the past was a calculated ploy to pollute and corrupt him and his office, under the guise of reclaiming state lands.
Mr Alpha Conteh is one among thousands of Sierra Leoneans suffering in silence at the hands of the ministry. There are a good number of citizens who have been crying down the same ministry and the Minister for similar actions against them. This is a test case for the ACC.