By: Hafsatu Z Bangura
The Sierra Leone Police in its weekly press briefing on the 2nd June 2022 at the Sierra Leone Police Headquarters in Freetown confirmed to the press release on the timber ban.
The Director of Communications Amadu Mannah said starting on the 10th June-31st October 2022 there would be a ban on the transportation of timber.
He said the reason for the ban is to protect the newly constructed roads in order for them not damage these roads he said throughout all the borders.
As he said over the years 90% of road damage is caused by these timber logs.
Mr Amadu Mannah continued that the smuggling of timber logs to Guinea has been on a rapid increase and that rokupu has been declared a hub for the smuggling of timber from Sierra Leone to Guinea.
He said in the last few weeks long queues of trailers of timber headed for Guinea and said when they were intercepted and asked to pay they revolted to it.
He said security agencies across the country are on high alert for the date of the ban and to ensure compliance to ensure no logs pass through none of these borders to neighboring countries.
Mr. Mannah assured of the upcoming paramount chieftaincy elections and its fair and peaceful elections due to the Paramount Chief who lost his seat in Parliament in which the seat will be contested for and elections he said will go on concurrently across all five districts.
From the Southern Region update on the Alleged Murder matter that involved Mohamed Kamara (14years) the deceased whose uncle Amara Kamara and another suspect named Bashiru is on the run both are suspects involved in the crime.
Two arrested at Kola Store in possession of 96 short gun cartridges one of them named Patrick Hussein and Mohamed Janneh who have been charged to court and remanded at the BO correctional center he said.
He also gave his update on an alleged assault that he said has resulted to a Murder matter. Mustapha Kallon the deceased was assaulted on the 23rd April 2022 and passed away in the 26th May 2022 and the suspect Sheku Thomas have been arrested.
From the Eastern Region he said is relatively calm and quiet and border patrol is ongoing and close monitoring on the Yenga issue.
North East AIG operations Chief Inspector Abdul Rahman Sankoh Head of Media North East spoke of the recent happenings that involved the drowning of two pupils of SLT Primary School Mohamed Alie Mansaray aged 9 years and Mohamed Koroma aged 11 years both victims have been buried already.He said four teachers have been interrogated on the movements of pupils and marking of the register of pupils in which one of the pupils were marked present hours before his death.
On the 31st May 2022 organized a day’s workshop for police Prosecutors on bail regulations by the legal Aid board and the United Nations Development Program
He also spoke on debunking allegations and defamation levied on him by the Editors of Sierra Loaded and Compass Newspaper that fabricated false and untrue stories regarding an incident he narrated.
Mr. Senisie from the CID also gave his update on an Alleged Conspiracy to defraud.
He said on Thursday 26th May 2022 on a date unknown with Intent to defraud Fouad Ayoub if Africanus Hotel off king street Freetown conspired together with other person’s unknown by obtaining the sum of $4,500 for noncitizens on the pretext in preparation of a Sierra Leonean passport and issuing them identity cards and driving licenses in a bid to deprive the government of Sierra Leone of a much needed information and revenue at the integrity of the state and has been arrested but granted bail he concluded.
