News

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

OCTEA mining group in the diamond fields of Kono, eastern Sierra Leone, has laid off some 300 out of the 426 miners they had earlier sent on leave.

The company’s administrative officer, Julius Aruna, said they had to embark on redundancy after they realised that production had drastically reduced in the last three months.

An independent public survey on the living conditions of Sierra Leoneans and the performance of government was released on Tuesday in Freetown. Carried out by Afrobarometer in mid last year, the perception survey shows fundamental problems with the country’s public service delivery even if it shows that the majority of Sierra Leoneans are optimistic about the way the country is headed.

By Septimus Senessie in Kono

Member of Parliament for Constituency 45 in the Neya chiefdom of Koinadugu District, in northern Sierra Leone has claimed that 90% of children in that part of the country are out of school.

“This is because of the unattractive conditions of educational facilities in schools such as poor school structures, inadequate teaching and learning materials and the lack of trained and qualified teachers”, Lahai Marrah lamented.

By Aminata Phidelia Allie

Lawyer for 29-year-old Alhaji Kondeh, standing trial in a murder case at the Magistrate Court No. 2 in Freetown has submitted that his client is not fit to stand trial given his medical condition.

The accused had been preliminarily investigated since November 2012 on one count of murder.

Defense counsel Ishmael Philip Mamie produced a medical report apparently showing that the accused had a history of insanity and could therefore not be tried for allegedly murdering 22-year-old Abdul Rahman Wright.

By Mohamed Vandi in Kenema

By Septimus Senessie in Eastern Kono District

After six weeks of operations in the eastern Kono district, management of the first water purification and wholesales company, Good Family, has formally launched its production facilities in Simbakoro, Nimikoro Chiefdom.

The programme manager of an international organisation working on water and sanitation in Bombali district, Inter Aid, described the quality of the water as being “up to international standard”.