News

By Mohamed T Massaquoi

Over 2,000 (two thousand) people in Pujehun District, southern Sierra Leone have tested positive for HIV, an official has disclosed.

Emma Sengeh, the HIV and AIDS Supervisor in Pujehun, says the district headquarter town alone and its immediate environs account for over 500 cases. 

She said Pujehun District used to record the highest HIV and AIDS cases in the country with pregnant women accounting for 4.1 % of the current cases. But she would not tell how things compared now. 

By Prince Musa

The District Youth Officer in Kenema is under pressure to explain how he used monies disbursed to him by the local council in the name of projects earmarked for youths.

Ibrahim Jabbie, who coordinates all youth activities in the district, stands accused by officials of the Kenema District Council of failing to properly account for money disbursed to him.  

Council officials said he received the sum of Le10 million meant for youth activities for which he has failed to account. 

By Umaru Fofana

Sierra Leone has risen three places from last year to 95 out of 113 countries ranked around the world on a rule of law index by the World Justice Project. 

It ranks 12 out of 18 countries in Africa scoring 0.45, with 1.0 being the strongest. In other words 45%.  

By Prince Musa

The authorities in Kailahun have announced a restriction in the movement of motorbike taxis known as Okadas. It follows the killing of a man in the eastern Sierra Leone district for which a bike rider is a suspect. 

Paramount Chief Musa Ngombukla Kallon of Jawai Chiefdom says Okadas are no longer allowed to move about at dark. 

The deceased who has still not been identified has been buried.

By Mohamed T Massaquoi

Police in Pujehun have expressed alarm at “a sharp rise” in armed robbery in the southern Sierra Leone district and have drafted vigilante groups to help out. They have blamed the incident an influx of shotguns in the area.

Detective Inspector Guy Patrick Chico Lansana Bussu, Crime Officer attached to the Pujehun Police Divisional Headquarters, says the situation is of serious concern.

By Umaru Fofana

The case of Sierra Leone’s sacked Vice President at the ECOWAS Court suffered a setback on Tuesday, according a source at the court’s registry in Abuja.

“The team of lawyers for Mr Samuel Sam-Sumana got turned away to perfect the process of filing at the court”, the source who cannot be named told Politico via Whatsapp. 

“They will be back after perfecting the documents based on the rules of the court”, the source adds. 

By Kemo Cham

The World Health Organisation has ranked Sierra Leone among countries with the highest burden of cases of tuberculosis - or TB - in the world.

In a new report published last week, Sierra Leone, alongside its next door neighbour Liberia, was placed among the top 10 countries with the highest number of TB cases per capita, with an official calling for redoubling of efforts by the government and its partners to tackle the epidemic.