By Dadson A. Musa
The chaos and injustices in the land administration in the country which the government of Sierra Leone with the help of World Bank had sought to correct are still being circumvented by unscrupulous individuals. This negative trend has affected development in our country and has kept away genuine investors. This time, a Nigerian by the nickname, Orga Dollar is believed to be behind it all.
An unfortunate incident is raring its ugly head in Lungi (Kasongha and Tombo Bana – Kamayala). The land in question is located very close to the new airport in Lungi and by all indication the strategic location of the land is the opportunity the land grabbers want to seize forgetting the fact the pieces and parcels of land rightfully belong to people. Acres of land that have been legally acquired over the years by the Moses, Jallohs and other families are being earmarked for grabbing. And there is one kingpin, referred to as ” Orga Dollar” who is behind this grabbing. We have learned that he offered huge amount of money using lawyers from Freetown to ” coercively ” make few of the land owners sign for money because they have no alternative thinking of the dire economic situation in the country. Those who signed were taken advantage of due to their current financial standings as opposed to those who did not. When signing, authories from the airport told them that the land is needed for developmental purposes and did not entertain questions as it was impressed on them that it is an ” order from government.”
Speaking to this medium, Alusine Bangura, a caretaker representing the Moses family who legally acquired the land over ten years ago said ” the P. C., airport board chairman and some people from Freetown told them that government needs the land for investment by the airport. And we were invited to Freetown and they were not ready to negotiate but we must accept the money offer and relinquish the land. When I reported the request to the land owners staying abroad, the request was rejected an offer of money was categorically refused and that the land is not for sale.” According to caretaker, Alusine, the land owners told them that they will only sell the land to government as long as it is for development ” if proper negotiations are done with right documents as they will not stand in the way of development.” They were invited to the paramount chief of Kaffu Bullom in whose chiefdom the land is. ” They showed us documents which according to them was from government but did not allow us peruse it,” according to caretaker Alusine. He told them that the Moses family is not ready to accept the money they were offering for their own portion of land. And in November of last year, 2024 they were asked to vacate the land and the said Orga Dollar sent contractors to view and take photos and videos of the land. Until press time the Moses family has not accepted the money. The matter was reported to the parliamentary committee on land and also to court which were ” never attended by the so-called grabbers.” And the development promised for taking the land remains to be seen.
In another development, a widow who was coerced to accept the money narrated her ordeal thus; ” they brought the money over to Lungi and told me it was Nle400,000 and i rejected it telling them that my portion of land is not for sale. They met me planting groundnut on the land the second time they came and threatened to uproot it and told me to stop. Out of fear, I stopped and they took me to Freetown only to make me sign for Nle120,000.” The land was legally bought by the husband over fourteen years ago and because she is illiterate and could not read or write she was made to thumb – print for the money offered without an understanding of the content.
The paramount chief of Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom, Bai Shebora Gbereh 111. was reached to have his side of the story via phone call after going to the house and he was not there. ” I don’t know of any land of that nature that you are talking of and I can’t recall appending my signature on any documents concerning the land in question.” To further clarify issues on the land matter, attempts were made to reach the land’s minister, Turad Senesie (PhD) but proved futile. When finally reached via phone, he wrote via WhatsApp, “I cannot recall when last I had a discussion with any one on land matters in Lungi.” And did not entertain further calls or questions.
Yusif Bangura, a brother of one of the land owners told this medium that “people want to use the name of government to grab our land so we are going to resist it. ” As I write, no development has taken place on the said parcels of land and the plantations, houses and water are still there. Those who accepted monies, some out of fear and others out of duress are ready to refund. Attempts to reach Orga Dollar proved futile as he is “out of Sierra Leone “, at the time of going to press.