Makarie Gbanti Farmers Cry Foul
The people of Worreh Makankry village in Makarie Gbanti Chiefdom, Bombali District, have complained of being deprived of their bonafide agricultural land now legally claimed by one man.
They accused a local farmer, Issa Kalokoh of Robarie village, of claiming ownership of the land which they claimed had been under their control even before he was born.
The people also alleged that their former Village Headman, Osman Dawoh, who they claimed was deposed after twenty-three years of backward rule, testified against them that the land which was naturally divided by a stream covered with thick forest belonged to Issa Kalokoh.
The land matter was presided by the State Counsel and Law Officer, Yusuf Koroma, based in Makeni, Bombali District, who visited the said land for first-hand information, argued that the land was naturally divided by a stream.
But according to the people, they were surprised that the State Counsel and Law Officer ruled against them thereby giving the legal ownership of the land to Issa Kalokoh and depriving thousands of people of using it.
The court decision has sparked serious debate among the indigenes of Makankry village and the entire Bombali District claiming that the presence of Yusuf Koroma Esq. in the district has not impacted positively on the judiciary system.
People are surprised that Issa Kalokoh, who has to travel many miles to cross the stream that serves as naturally boundary between the two villages from pre-colonial days, could have a legal right over people whose forefathers had used the disputed land.
Some have argued about proximity saying that the natural boundary between the two villages is two miles from Worreh Makankry but more than four miles from Issa Kalokoh’s village, Robarie.
By Abdulai M. Kamara
Stay with Sierra Express Media, for your trusted place in news!
© 2016, https:. All rights reserved.
