Express News Brief 11-23-09
Armed robbers buy weapons from police
The collaboration between the military and armed robbers has been further confirmed with the recent report that soldiers are the main conduits for weapons.
According to reports, a man known as Wurie, said to be a notorious armed robber has disclosed that they buy their weapons from the government’s arms and ammunition dump.
Wurie disclosed how he paid seven hundred thousand Leones for arms and ammunition and said the money was paid to one Corporal Monrovia of the Sierra Leone Military.
CSA assists in HIV/AIDS sensitization
A one-day workshop on HIV/AIDS Sensitization targeting petty traders and cassette sellers has been successfully completed at the headquarters of the Cassette Sellers Association in Freetown. The workshop was conducted by the National Aids Secretariat in collaboration with the executive of the CSA.
This is the first time such a sensitization program has been undertaken by the national Aids Secretariat in line with the Cassette Sellers Association.
CSA officials have said that this is a continuation of more such workshops. As long as the HIV aids problem continues we will also continue this program, said one executive of CSA.
Ten disqualified in Port Loko chieftaincy
Ten candidates hoping to be awarded symbols for the forth coming chieftaincy elections, to be held in Port Loko District, are reported to have been disqualified from contesting the elections. The decision was reported to be taken by the accessory chiefs in consultation with the provincial secretary Northern Province, Abdul Koroma. The ten were disqualified because they were not from Ruling Houses.
The National Electoral Commission had earlier stated that they will not encourage any questionable candidate and that they will follow the rules and regulations rigidly.
Corruption: Ranked 146 out of 180
A press release from the national accountability Group stated that Sierra Leone has improved its rank and score in the corruption perception index issued annually by Transparency International for the year 2009.
Sierra Leone was ranked 146 out of 180 countries rated, and this shows that the country’s anti-corruption commission has made significant inroads in controlling corruption in the country.
Support for war victims
Over 30,000 registered war victims are going to be beneficiaries from a Trust Fund that will be launched by President Ernest Bai Koroma, on 5th December 2009.
The Trust Fund titled “War Victims Trust Fund” is part of the policy decision derived from the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliations Commission-TRC to pay victims of the war. The recommendation by the TRC has long been made but it is only under the present government that action has been undertaken in making the recommendation into reality.
Salone lacks 80% relevant data
Statistics – Sierra Leone has revealed that the country lacks 80% of relevant data, which is said to be one of the reason why she is rated at the bottom of the United Nation Human Development Index.
It is highly believed that the politicizing of the office of the Statistician General is said to have had a negative effect on the efficient operations of the statistics office.
Ishmael S. Dugba, SEMStay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
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