By Cycil Showers
A distressed Josephine Adama Mangu, who happens to be the niece of one time National Publicity secretary of the ruling SLPP Government, Hon. Tamba Sam, of blessed memory, is passionately calling on President Julius Maada Bio and the Ministry of Lands to come to her aid as land mafias have taken the late man’s properties from her at Goderich in the west end of Freetown.
As an industrious and hardworking woman, she invested in land that she legally bought and paid for as an investment in preparation for her children and grandchildren abroad, whom she believes one day would leave the ‘white man’s land’, and return home to develop the pieces of land.
This is echoed in the vision of the New Direction Government. Recently, the Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs was in the diaspora calling and urging Sierra Leoneans to come to Sierra Leone and invest for a better country.
Sadly, certain unscrupulous land officials are leading a band of hired thugs and armed military personnel to distribute the private land of Madam Josephine Mangu.
According to the confused and disturbed pensioner, she had zinc dwelling on the site in question and a care taker on site. Madam Mangu furthered said that some of these authorities from the Ministry of Lands are undermining President Bio’s plea to Sierra Leoneans in the diaspora to come home and participate in the development of the country.
“It appears that there are individuals in authority bent on tarnishing the image of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party Government and make it appear to be a preconceived scam to attract local and foreign investors into Sierra Leone and then unlawfully seize their lands and sell it to a criminal network,” she lamented.
“This is not a good image for our beloved Sierra Leone and these rogue officials must be exposed and brought to book; in the same way rogue teachers were exposed and brought to book,” she maintained.
However, the children of Madam Josephine Margu are calling on President Bio and the First Lady to come to the rescue of their mother for justice to prevail and open floodgate for other families in the diaspora to come back home and help in nation’s building.
The said land was about 26.7232acres, but out of humanitarian feeling and gestures she has allocated 19acres to some of her children and traded some other plots to close relatives.
The remaining acres, according to the owner,is now being sold by Morie Saffa who allegedly is intimidating the caretaker.
Morie Saffa was also caught in the early hours of past Saturday defying the monthly cleaning exercise as he was desperately heading to Madam Josephine’s land with thugs releasing all sort of threatening remarks stressing how he will continue to demarcate portions of the lands to unknown people for sale saying it is a State land.
Madam Josephine has times without number openly challenged Morie Saffa that she acquired the land legitimately with all documents in her possession, but the defiant and boisterous Morie Saffa continues to prevail on the hapless woman.
“I need justice to prevail,” she cried.
