Veteran gynecologist, Dr. Christian Bell has called on government, especially President, Dr. Julius Maada Bio, to ensure that he gets justice by reclaiming the lands he bought and invested in when he returned home from Germany where he worked diligently for several years.
He lamented that land grabbers, especially people in high places who are supposed to be disciplined, upright and role models in society, are the very ones usurping the powers of Parliament and even the judiciary and wondered where Sierra Leone is heading to.
He clarified that the Ministry of Lands had decades ago verified the said lands and produced three reports stating that he owns the entire property at Banga Farm, Sussex.
The over 80 year-old founder and Chief Executive Officer of the renowned Love One Another Campaign (LOAC) that has constructed schools, vocational centers and orphanages and offering scholarships to disadvantaged children nationwide, recalled that when he returned home from Germany in 1979 he decided to invest in lands and that he bought lands at Juba Hill, Banga Farm/Sussex and Hamilton for his retirement but that most of these lands have been illegally grabbed by some people in high places with the courts taking ages to do little or nothing to address the issue.
He narrated that the High Court had ruled in his favour in the matter with Jane Sawyer for the land at Banga Farm/Sussex and that the defendant was strictly warned not to ever step foot on the land adding that the defendant was even supposed to pay damages but could not because when the bailiffs went to her house the properties discovered were not commensurate to the amount she was supposed to pay underscoring that even after over a year she is yet to pay the damages.
He said he is expecting the final report from bailiffs on this matter after paying 15 million.
It must be noted that judgement was delivered in default against Jane Sawyerr as she failed to appear in court.
Dr. Bell furthered that Justice Adrian Fisher is yet to deliver judgement (that should have been done over a year ago now) in another matter-Bell/Renner versus Benjamin Turay for the land at Banga Farm-Sussex where over 17 different people have encroached claiming that they bought the lands from Jane Sawyer asserting that he cannot take further action on this matter without a judgment.
Chuku Emeka Taylor is representing Dr. Bell in all of these cases.
According to Dr. Bell, Hon. Benjamin Turay of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party, one of the alleged trespassers of his land at Banga Farm, Sussex, flouted the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Lands headed by the Hon. Quinton Salia Konneh also of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party that clearly demarcates the land between the two parties –Bell/Renner versus Jane Sawyer after the complainant paid huge sums of money to undertake the drone survey, preparation of the documents and presentation of the report to all the stakeholders at the meeting held in the community stressing that Hon. Benjamin Turay never challenged or responded to the report of the Parliamentary Committee on Lands.
He recalled that Hon. Benjamin Turay allegedly sent thugs to destroy the makeshift structure of Mr. Renner, co-owner of the land at Bango Farm/Sussex during which he was videoed brandishing a cutlass.
The German trained gynecologist enlightened that a Member of Parliament (MP) should be upright in and out of Parliament at all times but that he is disappointed that Hon. Benjamin Turay has remained defiant.
In an interview with Hon. Benjamin Turay at Parliament Building, he accused Hon. Quinton Salia Konneh of being bribed by Dr. Bell to write the report in his favour and promised to produce his documents which he never did.
Dr. Bell also accused Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG), Dr. M.I. Jalloh of squatting on his six town lots at Mile 13 without valid documents and that even when he was invited by the Independent Police Complaints Board (IPCD) headed by veteran civil servant, Mr. Richard Freeman to investigate the matter, AIG Jalloh failed to appear.
“The Independent Police Complaints Board thoroughly investigated the matter and even visited the site before confirming ownership of the land. It went further to advice that the matter be reported to the High Court. However, AIG Jalloh has never come to me nor have we discussed the issue,” the father of three specialist medical doctors stated adding that the other land grabbers are looking up to Dr. Jalloh.
Dr. Bell further stated that all the land grabbers do not have valid documents for which he blamed the Ministry of Lands for signing their documents without first verifying with him as the rightful owner.
In an interview with Dr. M.I. Jalloh at his Kingtom Police Hospital, he revealed that as a fervent Muslim he is upright and does not tell lies, that he knows and considers Dr. Bell as his father because he went to school with his sons and even sat in the same class with them at Medical School and that Dr. Bell also played a pivotal role at the funeral of his late wife some two years ago.
He went on to disclose that at one time he also managed Dr. Bell’s hospital at Brookfields, that he went to the IPCB when he was invited and that in spite of the allegations, Dr. Bell has not taken him to court.
Dr. Jalloh continued that he never knew that the six town lot of land he bought at Mile 13 belonged to Dr. Bell, that he bought the land from the Thomas family who alleged that they do not know Dr. Bell and that he hails from a wealthy family as his father was an engineer who built and bought several houses in Freetown.
The Deputy Director of Surveys and Lands in the Ministry, Mr. Jalloh confirmed doing the drone survey for the property at Banga Farm/Sussex, investigated the matter and wrote the report confirming that Dr. Bell owns the property.
Similar statements were also made by Mr. Hamid, a private licensed surveyor and Pastor Saffa of the Charting Office in the Ministry of Lands.
For the Juba Hill land claimed by Hawa Bah, Dr. Bell sent a WhatsApp message to the Ministry of Lands stating, “the Lumley Police is yet to receive the report with regards the encroachment on my Juba Hill property.
C/R No. 3045/2020 dated 30th October 2020
C/R No. 5927/2020 dated 3rd December 2020 awaiting your response.”
Investigations continue.
