Army officials, businessman on ‘Sugarloaf’ theft
The police are investigating senior army officials and businessman for grabbing land held in reserve at ‘Mount Sugarloaf’ in Regent village.
Major Sowa, Major Marah, businessman S A Beckley, Mohamed Turay and Aziz Sesay are police suspects for an alleged grabbing of hectares of land reserved for the preservation of Sierra Leone’s natural water sources at ‘Mount Sugarloaf.’
The police and Lands Ministry officials visited ‘Sugarloaf’ last week shortly after receiving a complaint from Regent Village residents with reference to allegations that top civil servants, a businessman and other private individuals have grabbed and built houses on nationally preserved lands.
Police say complainants accused one Major Sowa and Major Marah, a businessman S A Beckley, one Aziz Sesay and Mohamed Turay as having hands in the annexation of Sierra Leone’s forest reserves: Mount Sugarloaf; an area preserved for the protection of society’s natural water sources.
A visit by a contingent of police detectives and Lands Ministry officials revealed that lands encompassing ‘Mount Sugarloaf’ have permanent and makeshift structures, but that the alleged perpetrators are yet to make statement.
The Minister of Lands, Musa Tarawally, who also paid an on the spot visit at the scene said, “Mount Sugarloaf is reserved for the preservation of Guma Valley reservoir and water dam.”
He said he was terribly surprised to see ‘Mount Sugarloaf’ annexed, deforested and taken over by senior military officers and other notable private persons.”
“I was shocked seeing society’s monumental forest reserves (lands purposefully held in reserve for the preservation of Sierra Leone’s water sources) infiltrated, brushed and burnt down by land grabbers and squatters,” he continued.
An employee of Guma Valley Water Company, who identified himself as Mr. Kanu said there is a reduction of water in both the reservoir and dam owing to endless occupation of lands at ‘Sugarloaf’ by grabbers and squatters.
He further revealed that if an action is not taken now, it is obvious Freetown will suffer an unqualified shortage of water.
“Bushes presently occupied by the alleged grabbers and squatters, over the years, have helped in the protection of the Guma reservoir in the inflow of water from the dam to the reservoir, where incidentally it is purified and distributed to the end users,” Kanu said.
Unconfirmed revelations are that lands grabbed at ‘Sugarloaf’ are sold to Lebanese men in thousands of United State Dollars.
It is still not established whether the police has evidence against persons accused as grabbers and occupiers of lands at ‘Sugarloaf’ in Regent.
Facts are that distressed Regent residents have made comprehensive statements to the police, revealing how the named offenders have had unfettered and limitless access to the said lands despite efforts stopping them annexed same.
We are also told that the Minister of Lands is collaborating with the police and Regent residents in the prosecution of culprits trespassing the forest reserves.
Efforts getting the alleged offenders comment on the accusation proved futile.
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