By Emma Black
Mr. Moses Sendor, a junior employee (Pupil Surveyor) at the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning (MLHCP), has unlawfully constructed a shop and entertainment complex on a legally designated access road, using a falsified survey plan dated September 2, 2019, LS 7639/19). The land in question belongs to the Musa family, who have owned the property for over 27 years.
Despite having no conveyance or legal proof of ownership, Mr. Sendor was able to have the falsified survey plan authenticated by senior officials at the MLHCP on February 25, 2020 during an official investigation into his encroachment, this illegal validation led to a years-long legal battle, property damage, loss of access, and significant financial and emotional stress for the Musa family.
Mr. Joseph Musa and his wife, Mrs. Jestina Musa, acquired the property in Fornima, Goderich on May 4, 1998, their land, verified by MLHCP, includes a legally recognized 14.8-foot access road. In 2016, during a visit to Sierra Leone, Mr. Musa hired a licensed surveyor, Mr. Philip Moiba, to reaffirm the property boundaries, during the process, they discovered that Mr. Sendor had erected a temporary zinc structure pan body on the access road.
Despite repeated calls and messages from Mr. Musa, Mr. Sendor failed to respond. following Mr. Musa’s departure, Mr. Sendor escalated the situation by constructing permanent concrete structures on the road completely blocking the Musa family’s access to their own property from both the front and rear, as a result, the family was unable to construct a perimeter fence or even park their vehicles, leading to insecurity and increased trespassing by community members using their property as a thoroughfare.
Shockingly, Mr. Sendor resides in a fenced compound nearby but chose to erect his business structures on land he does not legally own the illegal construction prompted multiple complaints and investigations. On November 25, 2019, the Musa family reported the matter to the task force against land grabbing at Lumley. despite police warnings from Inspector Sundifu and multiple court injunctions, Mr. Sendor continued building.
The matter was plagued by malpractice and suspected corruption at various levels, including. failure of the former court clerk to serve a warrant of arrest in December 2020, the disappearance of the arrest warrant from court records, the use of a falsified 2019 survey plan with no evidence of payment or conveyance, despite these setbacks, court investigations and independent surveys repeatedly confirmed that Mr. Sendor had illegally encroached upon the access road.
In his ruling on February 21, 2024, Hon. Justice Fisher noted the following, upon a closer examination of LS 7639/19, there is no evidence of any consideration paid for the additional piece of land now having an acreage of 0.1386 acres, Mr. Sendor’s claim that he obtained the property in 2019 using a 2017 conveyance was deemed invalid, as the conveyance does not apply to the access road.
Multiple investigations by MLHCP officials affirmed the illegal encroachment, February 25, 2020, technical officer Mr. Charles Senesie confirmed that Sendor had encroached on the access road, March 10, 2022, assistant director of country planning, Eng. Musa Koroma, reported that Sendor had made the public access road his private property. The illegal structures were marked for demolition.
May 25, 2022 Court-appointed surveyor Mr. James Bangura confirmed that Sendor blocked the Musa property, citing the original 1997 survey (LS 743/97), Mr. Sendor illegally expanded his 2017 survey plan by adding 0.0307 acres from the 14.8-ft. access road, inflating his land size from 0.1079 to 0.1386 acres.
After over four years of legal proceedings, Justice Fisher ruled in favor of the Musa family, affirming their ownership and ordering, Immediate demolition and removal of all structures illegally built by Mr. Sendor., compensation of NLe 70,000 for trespass and NLe 50,000 for legal costs.
Mr. Sendor, however, has defied court orders by refusing to pay the court-ordered damages or demolish his structures, On February 7, 2025, Justice Fisher reaffirmed his ruling and dismissed an application by Mr. Sendor’s lawyer for a stay of execution on grounds of financial difficulty. Despite this, Mr. Sendor failed to comply, forcing the Musa family to personally fund the demolition efforts.
Following the ruling, a copy of the judgment was sent to MLHCP Permanent Secretary Mr. Abdulrahman Fofanah on March 21, 2024. The P.S. directed Eng. Musa Koroma to lead the demolition, assigning the task to Eng. Joseph.
An agreement was reached for MLHCP to carry out the demolition for NLe 40,000 funds which Mr. Musa paid on August 9, 2024. However, MLHCP failed to provide the necessary equipment and security, resulting in a failed demolition exercise.
Beyond the legal and emotional toll, the construction poses a serious environmental risk. Fornima is a hilly, steep area prone to landslides. The August 14, 2017 mudslide in Sierra Leone, which claimed thousands of lives, serves as a tragic reminder of what improper construction can cause.
Mr. Sendor, as a trained surveyor, should have been aware of these risks. Instead, he chose to ignore court rulings, government orders, and basic safety standards, this case highlights systemic issues within the Ministry of Lands, including document falsification, lack of enforcement, and corruption. It underscores the urgent need for transparency and accountability in land governance, particularly as the country continues to face urban development challenges.
The Musa family continues to seek justice, not only to reclaim their rightfully owned property but to ensure no other citizen suffers similar injustices at the hands of corrupt officials.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, May 23th, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
