By: Richard Mullah
The Embassy of the Republic of Sierra Leone Ankara, Turkey in a press release dated 9th November, 2022 had debunked a false information making rounds that forty(40) Sierra Leoneans in Turkey have been deported in Freetown through Turkish airlines on Sunday 6th November 2022.
According to the press release that information is not true and it’s seen as a calculated ploy by certain people to create panic among the Sierra Leonean community in Turkey and the general populace back home.
The Embassy went on to make some clarification that the Government of the Republic of Turkey is currently on an operation of clamping down of law breakers, those involved in drugs, and deporting illegal people from their country.
The Embassy also clarified that before the alleged deportation on the 6th November 2022, the Sierra Leone Embassy organized a meeting in Istanbul with the the leadership and cross session of the Sierra Leonean community , admonishing them to be law abiding and desist from activities that are not within the Turkish law, drug peddling and other activities.
The Embassy also noted that the Turkish authorities at the Istanbul International Airport confirmed the deportation to Freetown of seven (7) allegedly Sierra Leonean citizens via Turkish airlines on Sunday 6th November 2022, who were accused of various crimes.
It also stated that most of the Sierra Leonean coming to Turkey entered with hidden identity , holding other passport rather than Sierra Leone passport.