Serious land issues are being plagued by land grabbers, causing the judiciary to become overwhelmed with land-related cases. Many land grabbers are responsible for the decline in public trust in the judiciary due to their relentless claims of having judicial authority. Recently, His Excellency President Bio took bold action against the conspiracy network of land grabbers, which he identified as including judges, surveyors, the Ministry of Lands, and others who are intent on unlawfully grabbing people’s land.
One particular case has come to light, involving a piece of land in Allen Town at Kiosk Junction, Bai Bureh Road. This strategic land has been occupied by the Mansaray family, who have developed it responsibly for decades. However, a man named Ina Wray has challenged the family’s claim, presenting questionable titles to the land. Currently, this case is before a judge in the judiciary, awaiting a decision.
What is concerning is the significant delay in reaching a judgment, especially since the Mansaray family’s lawyers have submitted their arguments in law and fact to the court before justice Sulaiman Bah. For several months, the opposing lawyers representing Inna Wray have yet to submit their arguments, further prolonging the court proceedings. This delay contributes to the erosion of public trust in the judiciary.
The President must take decisive action to uphold his commitment to addressing land grabbing. It is clear that some lawyers, judges, state authorities, and individuals are exploiting the situation, possibly in collusion with certain influential business people to unjustly acquire land, this maybe similar in the case of Mrs. Fatmata Mansaray and Ina Wray. While investigating the land issue at Hallen Town, reports have emerged of a prominent businessman, Demba Barrie, seen planning developments on the disputed land, allegedly with a lawyer named Sawaneh. If these allegations are true, they corroborate President Bio’s concerns about land grabbing networks and the need for effective action against them. The entrenched syndicate of land grabbing must be swiftly eradicated.
