Cocaine convict awaits justice
The 2008, July 13th cocaine saga saw the incrimination of some Sierra Leonean Airport workers including Mr. Chernor Momodu Bah and other foreign nationals for unlawfully landing a plane loaded with 750 kilo grams worth of cocaine substance on the Sierra Leonean soil. However, the arrest and conviction of some Sierra Leone Airport Authority (SLAA) officials and their trials subsequently led to the incarceration of Mr. Bah and others.
The allegation that incriminated Mr. Bah and others has raised a serious concern in the minds of his family members and residents of Lungi. In a recent visit to Lungi by Sierra Express Media (SEM) reporter, he happened to come in contact with close allied and family members of Mr. Bah; he was informed that the convicted former senior assistant Air Traffic Controller has been seriously ill since his detention at the Pademba Road Maximum Prison. According to reports reaching his family members and friends it has been confirmed that Mr. Bah is in deteriorating condition responding to treatment.
While this reporter was in Lungi on an investigation assignment, he made effort to visit the family members of the convicted Mr. Bah at a two room bedroom block located in the Airport Quarters.
 Some family members ran into uncontrollable tears when I enquired about their well being. They stopped at nothing trying to explain their ordeals in the complete absence of their “bread winnerâ€.  Mariama Bah, the 14 year old daughter of the apparent victim of miscarriage of justice; eyes flooded with unceasing tears narrating that the long absence of her father has caused untold suffering for her and the family and the same rime impacted very badly on her school work. “Since the absence of ‘papa’ I have suffered countless humiliation from my friends and teachers in school; and many a time, my class teacher have asked me out of class for failing to pay my fees on time, she explained, with tears trickling down her cheeks.
On the same issue, speaking to neighbors and former co-workers at the airport grounds, they intimated this reporter that the imprisoned Mr. Bah was in fact on a leave vacation when the cocaine saga occurred. According to one family member interviewed furnished this reporter with an authentic vacation leave letter issued out to Mr. Bah by the Airport Authority. This document dated back 11th May, 2008. In this vacation leave letter, and it is boldly written in black and white that Mr. Chernor Momodu Bah should go on a vacation leave which commenced on 5th June , 2008 and ends on the 27th August, 2008. In addendum to that stipulated time-frame stated on the letter, Mr. Bah should was supposed to resume active duty on the 28th August, 2008.
Nonetheless, in the state of this dilemma, that surrounds Mr. Bah’s arrest and conviction, a close resident has seriously questioned – how could someone be on leave and at the same time land a cocaine plane in Sierra Leone, the man said; with startled consternation.
Finally, Mr. Bah’s involvement in the whole cocaine scam is still a puzzle yet to unraveled people in Lungi.
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