Danger Looms In Biriwa Chiefdom
By Yusufu Sesay
The Paramount Chief of Biriwa Chiefdom in Bombali District, PC Salifu Mana Kalawa, has been accused by a large number of Fullah residents in the chiefdom of alleged corruption and unlawfully taking over land they claim to have inherited from their forefathers several decades ago.
The aggrieved residents have warned that the alleged injustice could lead to serious unrest if immediate action is not taken by the relevant authorities.
It was reported that Kamasigie Town in Biriwa Chiefdom recently benefited from a school project, for which the Town Chief, Pa Dura Shaw, reportedly donated a piece of land to the community for the construction of the school.
According to our sources, while construction work was ongoing, a man identified as Bailor Jalloh, who is alleged to be a protégé of Paramount Chief Kalawa, came forward to claim ownership of the donated land and allegedly threatened to take the Kamasigie Town Chief to court.
A few days later, as allegedly promised, Bailor Jalloh sued the Chief at the Native Administration (NA) Court in Kamasigie.
Sources further alleged that while the matter was before the court and hearings had commenced, Paramount Chief Kalawa ordered the NA Court Chairman, Kelfala Sheriff, to transfer the case from Kamasigie to his Court Barray in Kamabai.
“The problem started when the matter was brought before the Paramount Chief’s Barray. On the day of the hearing, PC Kalawa asked me, the defendant, to begin explaining,” the Kamasigie Town Chief reportedly said.
The Chief explained that although he insisted that he was not the complainant in the matter, the Paramount Chief allegedly ordered him to proceed and accused him of being a political opponent.
During his explanation, sources said, the Paramount Chief interrupted him twice, arguing that he did not need to give the history of the matter.
“He then adjourned the case indefinitely and threatened to give a ruling, saying that if I became aggrieved by the verdict, I could go anywhere to seek justice,” the Kamasigie Town Chief alleged.
The Paramount Chief was also alleged to have promised to hire a surveyor to survey all the land belonging to Pa Dura Shaw and his family in Kamasigie.
The matter was subsequently brought to the attention of the Senior District Officer (SDO) in Makeni, who reportedly conducted an investigation. Following the investigation, the SDO allegedly invited the NA Court Chairman and instructed him to continue with the case and deliver a verdict.
However, sources alleged that the proceedings were again interrupted by the Paramount Chief, who placed a ban on all activities on the disputed land.
The ban was later reportedly lifted by the Resident Minister for the North-East, Ibrahim Jalloh, popularly known as Jallomy, who allegedly advised residents to continue their farming activities, considering that it was the rainy season.
The intervention reportedly came after the Paramount Chief had allegedly hired a surveyor and a survey had reportedly been carried out on the land.
“By that action, we want to make it abundantly clear that if the survey plan is not produced and handed over to us within 24 hours, we will raise hell in Biriwa,” some members of the Fullah community told this press in Kamasigie Town.
The aggrieved residents are now calling on the relevant authorities to urgently intervene and address the matter before the situation escalates into violence.
All efforts to reach Paramount Chief Salifu Mana Kalawa for his response proved unsuccessful, as several telephone calls made to him went unanswered at the time of going to press.
