As Land Dispute Heats Up…Death Threat for HRSS Pupils
A protracted land dispute between the Catholic Mission and the Jah family seems to be taking a violent dimension as pupils and teachers of the Holy Rosary Secondary School in Pujehun have now come out openly to defend the disputed land which, they claim, belongs to their school and the Catholic Church.
The pupils and their teachers have registered their avowed determination to demolish any structure erected by an alleged encroacher, Mamie Kamara, who in turn has vowed to wage an all out war and, if possible, murder any pupil or teacher who will dare to demolish the structure which she is about to construct on a disputed piece which she claims to have bought from the Jah family headed by Pa Ansumana Jah.
On Monday 5th May, 2014, pupils and teachers of the Holy Rosary Secondary School in Pujehun reportedly led a peaceful demonstration to the Pujehun District Council office and to the police demanding that the concerned authorities take prompt action on the perpetual encroachment on the Catholic Mission land and the long standing land case between the mission and the Jah family.
The irate pupils are reported to have stormed the building site of the alleged encroacher, Mamie Kamara, vandalized her building materials, thereby obstructing the building project.
The Chief Administrator, Bockarie Buani, in an interview, confirmed that indeed the pupils led a peaceful demonstration to the council office and that he had cause to summon an emergency meeting of stakeholders the following day to address the problem.
CA Buani was blunt enough to attribute the problem largely to the dishonesty of some traditional authorities, an opinion which was re-echoed by a Catholic Priest, Reverend Martin Suma.
The Chief Administrator said he cautioned both parties not to take the law into their hands till the settlement of the matter now before the District Security Committee.
The story is that the forefathers of the Jah family gave a large portion of land on freehold over a hundred years ago for development purposes. So, many keep wondering why the same family is now being accused of encroaching on a piece of land which their grandparents donated over a century ago.
The Catholic Mission and the Jah Family have been in court for over a year for another piece of land allegedly encroached upon by one Madam Vandi. Both accused encroachers are said to have bought their lands from the Jah family with the approval of the head of the family, Pa Ansumana Jah.
By Joseph Milton Lebbie
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