The area in Mile 91 where the incident took place
There is disquiet in the community of Mile 91 and surrounding villages, after a combined team of armed police and soldiers allegedly raided two villages in the area at 5am on Sunday, 9th September, shooting dead a 29 year-old man.
The Local Unit Commander (LUC) of the police station said the team of armed security personnel arrived in his area of operation without his knowledge, in contravention of standard police protocol.
Pilgrims arriving in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
What was to have made this year`s Hajj an epoch making event was marred by the death of two Sierra Leonean women who were part of the delegation performing the Hajj rituals in the Holy Land.
Their death, according to medical reports, was attributed to heart failure. They are, 63 yearw old Haja Adama Mannah Sesay from Mange Bureh, Port Loko District and 61 years old Haja Marie Koroma.
The Freetown City Council has announced a competition meant to encourage residents to clean their environment.
The Mayor of Freetown Municipality, Yvonne Aki-Sawyer, said on Thursday that the approach is the latest in a series of initiatives designed to free the city of filth while preventing recurrent flooding.
A Sierra Leonean woman and educationist Mrs. Memuna Warne, who was on a visit to London and was due to fly back to Sierra Leone last week, has reportedly died in a fire which engulfed the house she was staying in Woolwich, South-East London.
According to a London Standard News report, dozens of firefighters tackled the flames after the blaze broke out at the house in Centurion Square, Woolwich, in the early hours of Thursday, 6 September 2018.
NCP Chairman, Umaru Napoleon Koroma
The newly-appointed General Manager of the Sierra Leone Road Transport Corporation (SLRTC), Mr. Isaac Ken-Greene has taken over control of the institution in a colorful ceremony at the corporation’s headquarters at PWD-Kissy in Freetown.
Chairing the Program, the Chairman of National Commission for Privatization (NCP), Umaru Koroma commended the outgoing Manager, Bockarie Lewis Kamara for doing his best during his tenure. He assured the incoming boss his administration’s full support in whatever capacity to transform the sector to its true value.
Africa Young Voices (AYV) Channel 34, yesterday, Monday 10th September, 2018 officially commenced Full Broadcast.
It can be recalled that AYV’s management has has been working together with its Technical Head, Habibul Muzir, Daniel Palmer, the Graphic Manager and Mustapha Conteh,
The British High Commission past weekend hosted a Pre-Departure reception for the eight successful Chevening candidates who will soon leave Sierra Leone to pursue a Master’s degree in the UK as Chevening scholars. The courses studied reflect the President’s desire to address the real developmental needs of the country and import more medical expertise, with the UK sending six medics, one lawyer, and one engineer.
By Prince C. Kamara
The National Civil Registration Authority (NCRA) has kicked-off yesterday September 10, what it describes as biometric verification, update and registration of all public and civil servants and all others in this category that are paid from the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).
This move, according to NCRA Director General, Mohamed Mubashir Massaquoi is for the government to have a clear idea of the number of public and civil servants on payroll and other details which would greatly assist the government in planning ahead.
By Bockarie Mattia
As a way of introducing more courses in the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) of the University of Sierra Leone (USL) and fast-track construction of its proposed residential campus, IPAM administrators recently met to map out a strategic plan spanning the next five years (2019 – 2024).
It could be recalled that over the past few years, the institution introduced additional courses expanded on its infrastructure.
By Alhaji Mohamed Wusha-Conteh
In a bid to celebrate the International Literacy Day, the Sierra Leone Library Board over the weekend joined other libraries worldwide with the theme “Literacy and Skills Development – Promoting Reading Amongst Children for a Sustained Reading Culture”.
In his opening remarks, the Chief Librarian Sierra Leone Library Board, Mr. Sallieu Turay stressed the importance of literacy in every facet of our activities and national development and emphasized that over the years Libraries have been contributing to improve on the Literacy rate and reading culture in the country. He said the renewed focus on integrated approaches is grounded, on the one hand, in persistent literacy and skills challenges, and, on the other, in the new skills demands and impetus generated by the current context of globalization, digitization and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The Office of Diaspora Affairs (ODA), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ministry of Political and Public Affairs (MPPA) on Thursday 6th September, 2018 held a fruitful meeting regarding preparations on the forthcoming Diaspora Agribusiness Investment Forum.
President Julius Maada Bio and President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo represented Africa to woo investors at the just-concluded conference in China.
It was a fitting honor for the Sierra Leone President to be one of the only two Heads of State invited to represent Africa in order to woo investors on the continent. The ceremony was the 4th Investing in Africa Forum held in Changsha, Hunan Province, China.
“In the area of the school feeding programme, the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education is only going to target deprived schools in the Western Rural and Urban areas and in the provinces.”
These were the words of the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, Brima Michael Turay. He went on to state that the school feeding programme was initially not part of the free quality education package, but was added as a supplementary package. He maintained that “the ministry has already identified the schools that will benefit.”
By Mohamed Kai
One Samuel Enitor King, on Monday 10th September this year tendered the medical report of his donkey before Santigie Bangura presiding over the Freetown Magistrate Court No.1 at Siaka Stevens Street.
The State alleged that the female donkey in question was stolen by one Staff Sergeant Hassan Kamara of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) at Jorpoh Farm, Palokoh Road at Waterloo in the outskirts of Freetown.
Recent scientific studies substantiate what many marijuana users have claimed all along — that it enhances sexual relations. Currently, almost all research into the effects of the cannabis plant is prohibited by the U.S. government due to its classification as a Schedule I substance. However, 30 states and the District of Columbia have legalized medical marijuana, while nine states have also legalized adult use of recreational marijuana. Legalization benefits academia, as it finally allows researchers to study and analyze marijuana's effects, including its impact on sexual intercourse.
By Mohamed Kai
One alleged fraudster, Hassan Sheriff has been kept at the Male Correctional Centre at Pademba Road by Santigie Bangura presiding over the Freetown Magistrate Court No.1 at Siaka Stevens Street for allegedly committing grave criminal offences, which negate the Criminal Procedure Act of the laws of Sierra Leone.
The accused person is charged with the offence of Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, contrary to law. The Particulars of Offence states that he stole one Ford Eveco truck with Registration Number AGO 229 valued at sixty five million Leones.
By Harriet Mason, UNICEF
In 2014, the world’s deadliest outbreak of the Ebola virus struck West Africa, killing more than 11,000 people. Over 12,000 children in Sierra Leone lost one or both parents.
Three years later, another catastrophe hit: devastating floods and mudslides took hold of the capital city, Freetown, killing 1,141 people and leaving 3,000 homeless.
By PRO Unit – MOHS
Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh has commissioned a newly constructed health centre, Haja Fanta Memorial Health Centre on Saturday September 8, 2018 at Kontha Wallah in the Lokomasama Chiefdom Port Loko district.
The health centre was built by an indigene of the village, Mrs. Aminata Sankoh Yilla with support from her husband and family members.
Pilgrims set for departure to Sierra Leone
The first batch of 420 out of a total of 828 Muslim pilgrims that successfully observed the 2018 annual Hajj pilgrimage to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are expected to arrive at the Freetown International Airport, Lungi on board Flynas Airlines today 7th September, 2018.
Upon arrival, the blessed men and women will then be conveyed to the Siaka Stevens Stadium on road through Port Loko, where their relatives will collect them at 7:00pm.
The KME Team well set for ECOFEST
Sierra Leone will host some of Africa’s biggest names in music on the 16th November 2018.
A stellar line-up from Nigeria, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone is set to thrill music fans at the National Stadium – with melodies that have graced every event on the continent and beyond. Though a list of artists from each of the five countries is not yet released for the show, the organizers, Sierra Leone’s Kabaka Multi Media Entertainment and Ghana’a Empire Entertainment have promised a cracker.
Sierra Leone’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Dr. Alie Kabba, has said that the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) provides a great opportunity for both the Chinese government and their African counterparts to sit together and discuss key priorities.
Dr. Kabba, who was speaking to this medium in an exclusive interview on Sunday, 2nd September, in Beijing, also said, “the Beijing 2018 FOCAC is a way of deepening ties both in Africa and China.”
Sierra Leone’s Anti-Corruption Czar – Francis Ben Kaifala, knows the difficulty in the fight against corruption. He says it is a fight that must be won if Sierra Leone is to eradicate poverty and embark on the difficult road to economic development.
Delivering a keynote address on Thursday 6th September, 2018 at the West and Central Africa Regional Youth Consultation Meeting, organized by the African Union in Dakar, Senegal, he spoke about the challenges of ‘leveraging youth capacities for the fight against corruption in Africa’.
By Lansana Fofanah
For 60-year-old madam Isatu Sesay, the earth is like a woman; whatever you give it, it gives you back in manifold- although it may take a little while. That is her main reason for investing in rice farming.
“When you give the earth one seed of rice, it will give you hundreds in return,” she says, “You don’t have to have a Master’s Degree to know that. The earth is like a woman’s womb that nurtures a sperm cell for nine months and gives back a bouncing baby. We are not actually taking advantage of the vast acres of arable land we are blessed with in this country.”
Sightsavers-Sierra Leone has on Wednesday 5th September 2018 engaged two Parliamentary Oversight Committees at Committee Room One Parliament Building, in order to strengthen the good relationships that has existed between the two institutions.
Sightsavers’ Sierra Leone Country Director, Nancy Smart said that the purpose of their meeting with the Parliament of Sierra Leone is to renew their relationship and commitment with MPs, especially those of the Parliamentary Committee on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU), to support the implementation and achievement of the SDGs.
Inspector General of Sierra Leone Police, Dr. Richard Moigbeh
The Sierra Leone Police says it has introduced breathalyzer as a means of controlling drink driving, which it says is a major factor in high rates of road accidents in the country.
A breathalyzer is used to measure an estimate of blood alcohol content from a breath sample.
Traffic police officers will be equipped with the handheld device and they will be selecting drivers at random for testing, disclosed police spokesman, Superintendent Brima Kamara to AYV yesterday.
The Ministry of Labor says it has instituted an investigation into the source of a press statement announcing the dissolution of the executive committee of the umbrella body of drivers in the country.
The Sierra Leone Motor Drivers and General Transport Workers Union has been in disarray within the last few days following the indictment of its top leadership by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) over allegations of financial misappropriation.
Ombudsman of Sierra Leone, Melron C. Nicol-Wilson Esq, was yesterday 5th September, 2018 finally sacked from his position as Ombundmans of the Republic of Sierra Leone by His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio.
Yesterday, 5th September, 2018, Africa Young Voices (AYV) Media Empire officially launched the ‘AYV Miss University Beauty Pageant 2018’ and the ‘AYV Charity Foundation’.
The spectacular event took place at the Sierra Palms Hotel, Lumley beach road in Freetown and graced by eminent personalities.
By Prince C. Kamara
Director General of National Telecommunications Commission, (NATCOM) Mr. Maxwell Hinga Massaquoi and entourage yesterday visited Orange telecom providers at Hill Station in Freetown.
The team on arrival was welcomed by the Chief Finance Officer, Gaelle Kerlin who informed the NATCOM DG and team that Orange is always open to inspection from the national telecommunications regulator NATCOM.
By PRO Unit – MOHS
Health and Sanitation Minister, Dr. Alpha Tejan Wurie has officially removed and dismantled the physical iron restraints (chaining) to a more humane (soft) restraints, a new method of chaining mental health patients on Monday, September 3, 2018 at the Sierra Leone Psychiatric Hospital, Kissy in the east end of Freetown.
Officially removing and dismantling of the physical iron restraints, Dr. Alpha Wurie disclosed that he visited the hospital couple of years ago, and could not emerging what he saw about three to four months back that the hospital would have been transformed to that kind of setting and commended Partners In Health.