News

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

The winner of the recently conducted Anti-Violence beauty pageant has committed to ending violence in communities and schools.

Shalom Properia Emmanuelle John, who won the crown in the competition that was conducted on 29 February, is an SSS III pupil at the St Joseph Secondary School in Freetown. She is also Brand Ambassador for Sierra Leoneans Dream Foundation, an organization founded by youth activist and artist, Mohamed Arkmalin Kamara, which seeks to rebrand the lives of young people through career opportunities.

By Prince J Musa in Kenema.

The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education (MBSSE) and the Teaching Service Commission (TSC) have both been handed keys to new buildings in Kenema.

The ministry’s office in the district was rehabilitated whiles a new building was constructed for the Teaching Service Commission.

The handing over ceremony was done in Kenema city on Friday, 6 March.

By Francis H. Murray

Eight accused persons alleged to have been involved in raping an elderly woman last month have been denied bail.

The eight men made their 3^rd appearance before Magistrate Abdul Sheriff at the Padempa Road Magistrate Court No 3 on Friday. They face 18 count charges.

The matter was charged to court on the 27^th February 2020 by Detective Police Constable Joseph Aliho Bangali, attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Sierra Leone Police.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

Former Vice President of Sierra Leone, Solomon Ekuma Berewa, has passed away. The family confirmed the news to Politico late on Thursday evening.

Berewa, 81, passed away at the Choitram Hospital in the capital Freetown, the family sources said. The family did disclosed the cause of his death, but Politico understands that he had been sick for some time now.

Berewa was the Attorney General (AG) before becoming Vice President in 2002, in the Ahmed Tejan Kabba-led administration.

By Mohmed Jaward Nyallay

Zimbabwean Islamic scholar, Mufti Ismail Ibn Musa Menk, has said he firmly believed in building bridges and uniting everyone in society.

He made the statement during a courtesy call to President Julius Maada Bio and his wife, Fatima Bio on Thursday.

Menk is in the country as part of his “Building Bridges” tour around the continent. This his second visit to the country.

By Hajaratu Kalokoh

A headcount exercise conducted by the government of Sierra Leone revealed that 37% of schools reported higher number of pupils in the Annual School Census (ASC), confirming a long held view that rogue school authorities give out bloated data to attract larger funding.

The headcount which was conducted between January and February 2020, was meant to validate the data from the school census conducted in 2019.

By Prince j Musa in Kenema

Police in Kenema say they are investigating three school girls who are suspected of involvement in cultism. All three pupils were busted by school authorities after a failed attempt to forcefully initiate another girl.

All the accused are pupils of the Methodist Secondary School in Kenema.