By: Sahr J. Bangah
With tears running down his old and frail eyes, the eighty one (81) years old blind Pa Kemokoh Conteh of Sawulia Village in the Gbanti Chiefdom, Bombali District informed this medium about his ordeal in seeking justice at Chief Barry at Pan-lap, Local court and magistrate court for vulnerable people is stressful.
He revealed that on the 12th May 2016 he was summoned to the chief’s court Barry at Panlap in the Gbanti Chiefdom by Pa Chernor Conteh who took advantage of his vulnerability and accused him to be a caretaker for the disputed land situated at Sawulia village but unfortunately he pass away.
Later, to his dismayed, another new complainant summarized, Mr. Abdulai Conteh, a relative of Pa Chernor Conteh immediately summoned him in the same court but not as caretaker but a family member that own the disputed land which prompted him to official write the Law Customary officer North Mr. Yusif Koroma for intervention.
He pointed out that the Customary officer after hearing to his complain advice that the chief court barry do not have the legitimate right to trial land matters wherein the complainant witness double as a chief in the court.
He further explained after this decision by the Law customary Officer North, hewas officially dragged to Tonkoba Local Court twenty one (21) miles away from where he lives doing his farming activities for the past eighty one years.
He reiterated that during the court sitting, the elder brother of the complainant chief Pa Alimamy Conteh of Yoni 11 and also a principal witness in the matter bribe his witness the sum of forty thousand Leone and with an understanding to give him some portion of land if they won the disputed land case but unfortunately it was exposed during the Local court trial and immediately the Local court chairman fines chief Pa Alimamy Conteh the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand Leones.
He maintained that judgment was given in his favor on the grounds that the complaint and him are not related and have never farmed in the said disputed land.
He recalled that the complainant took him to legal Aid Office in Makeni and later to Makeni Magistrate Court presided over by Magistrate John Manso Fornah and after several years judgment was given in his favor by Magistrate John Manso Fornah later delivered by Magistrate Peter Gogra on the ground that he inherited the disputed land from his maternal side Ya-Balamatokor and that the complainant has never work on the disputed land nor has he ever offered same to people to farm in the land.
Finally, Idrissa Conteh, the biological elder brother of the complainant including the witness chief Pa Alimamy told the court that the disputed land does not in any way belong to their family because their biological father Pa Sorie Conteh only told him about the land at Yoni village and not Sawulia village.
In an exclusive interview with Pa Kemokoh Conteh, he burst in to tears and said “with all the judgment in my favor, I have been restricted from the same magistrate not to do any farming activities until high court sit on the matter” physically challenge Pa Kemokoh Conteh is pleading with interested Human Rights Organization to come to his aid with the responsive outburst, stating out “Justice will meet me in my grave because, I am poor and physically challenge”.
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