By Sulaiman Jalloh
Citizens Right Network Sierra Leone (CRN-SL) has reacted to report of 19 cartons of Tramadol allegedly missing at the Queen Elizabeth II Quay (Water Quay) last year.
In a press briefing held on Wednesday, March 13, 2024, Ibrahim Bai Koroma, the executive director of CRN told journalists that his organization has been following the process since the arrival of the container last year at the country’s quay in Freetown. According to Koroma, his organization has read with dismay on social media about 19 cartons of Tramadol drugs missing at the Water quay, which prompted CRN-SL immediate investigation, noting they learnt that Supervisor Umaru Maddieu Kanneh of the Customs Department at Water Quay was implicated for the missing cartons, but however noted that, from their investigation, Umaru Maddieu Kanneh indeed earlier stopped the container from moving out of the quay based on the intelligence he had received.
“According to our source, Supervisor Umaru Maddieu Kanneh wasted no time to alert the following security institutions: Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU), Office of National Security (ONS), Pharmacy Board, and the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Sierra Leone Police and Sierra Leone Ports and Harbour Authority for the immediate 100% physical examination of the container,” the executive director said, saying items discovered from the said container include 35 cartons of Prebagaline 75 milligram, 67 cartons of Royal Tramadol, Hydrochloride Capsules 225 milligram and 229 cartons of Really Extra Tablet Diclofenac.
He said after identification of the items in the presence of all the authorities concerned, records were taken and that the alleged drugs were also taken to the store for safekeeping, while waiting for the examination of the said drugs from authorities, noting NRA/Customs seals were placed on the store with the numbers (01581 and 01582).
Mr. Koroma said on 23rd January, 2024, stakeholders also witnessed the physical examination at the Customs’ store for reassessment and collections of samples for forensic analysis and the seals were examined again with the same prefix numbers. “During the investigation CRN-SL discovered that one Joseph Stevens from the Sierra Leone Police /TOCU forensic unit took one thousand tablets of Royal Tramadol of Hydrochlorides tablets of 225milligram and five hundred tablets of Prebagaline 75 Milligrams for forensic analysis” he asserted, adding Madam Hannah Masuda from the Sierra Leone Pharmacy Board also confirmed to his organization that she took about 500 tablets of Tramadol and 500 tablets of pregabalin for the same samples for forensic analysis.
“We also understand that the whole process was supervised by the man in charge Umaru Maddie Kanneh of the Anti-Smuggling Unit at the container section.
After the end of the reexamination of the container, we gathered that the team of stockholders decided to place another new seal with the prefix numbers (05048/05049) before closing the store and photos were also taken by all parties for record purpose” he noted.
The executive director alleged that on the 17th February, 2024, Umaru Maddieu Kanneh received a call from his second man in the office that TOCU and other security apparatus came to collect the remaining drugs from the warehouse but discovered that 19 cartons of Tramadol were missing while loading from the warehouse to the vehicles assigned by TOCU, pointing the missing drugs prompted investigation from the commissioners at Customs, Tennyson Bio and His Deputy Commissioner, Richard Hindolo Senesie, adding from two Commissioners’ investigation, they were able to know from the two security guards an OSD officer and a private security guard from One Protect Security agency who were on duty that one Mr. Eddy Lahai and Antony Ganda aware of the whole issues for which they were also accused and the two mobile phones from the security guards seized. He furthered that relevant information were retrieve relating to the Tramadol in question.
Koroma said the alleged owner or consignee of the said container was identified as one Mr. Alhassan Jalloh of 17P Angel Drive, Calaba Town, Freetown but Jalloh denied of being the owner of the said container or the consignee, he noted that container in question is no longer at the quay.
“What has however remained our concern as an organization is why Supervisor Umaru Maddieu Kanneh’s name is being implicated in this issue, when in actual fact he was the one who earlier apprehended the container and called for proper check of its contents”? he asked, adding they had already discovered Supervisor Umaru Maddieu Kanneh was on causal leave in Turkey when the said items got missing.
He alleged that after preliminary investigation was carried out by the Commissioners at Customs where two junior staffs’ members at the NRA department were identified as suspects but sadly, he said necessary details of these said workers were not released by TOCU after obtaining statements from them.
He further informed journalists that the Citizens Rights Network Sierra Leone (CRN-SL) is of the firm belief that the rights of citizens must be guaranteed by providing equal justice to all without fear or favour. He however called for thorough investigation and bring the culprits to book without further delay.
Ibrahim Bai Koroma praised Supervisor Umaru Maddieu Kanneh for something he referred to as his patriotic job to the State and asked those vilifying him to stop as such will not help build a nation while appreciating all those helping to provide requisite information towards the alleged missing 19 cartons of Tramadol.
Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Friday, March 15th , 2024 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
