By Janet A. Sesay
Detective Inspector Mohamed Kanneh from the Crime Department at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters Pademba Road, at a press conference held with journalists on Monday, 29th July, 2024, at the Police Headquarters on George Street, Freetown, has disclosed that intelligence was gathered by the police between 1st January and 7th July, 2024, that one Hussein Alie Antar with other people imported and concealed bomb making materials and substances suspected to be harmful drugs.
He added that the investigation is on-going and they have identified key players like Hussein Alie Antar, Jama Antar, Samuel Marrah, Ibrahim Bashiru Kamara and Sulaiman Barrie.
He said, as they continue to investigate they have also brought in two (2) Customs Officers, Sheriff Mustapha and Solomon Tibu Rogers, adding that they have eight suspects in their custody and they have interviewed fourteen co-suspects including that three of them are Lebanese and eleven are Sierra Leoneans.
He also said two other Customs Officers from Water Quay, Peter Pongu and Elijah Pongu Kallon, have also made statements. Meanwhile two images analysts from the ITS Standing Unit have also made statements.
Inspector Kanneh also disclosed that the file has been sent to Law Officers Department for advice and upon advice they would charge the suspects to court as all evidences are touching on them. He said the police are working on it now as the investigation is still on-going.
Chief Inspector Edward Kamara from the Central Police Division in his update said in 2024 they realised that there were fatalities from gases in vehicles which became alarming.
He said the Directorate in Freetown has helped to mitigate a huge number of such gas incidents from occur in the country, adding that the first step they took was to look into unregistered and unlicensed vehicles as well as okadas and kekehs.
He further added that they also looked randomly at the artificial decoration of these vehicles especially commercial vehicles. He furthered that these operations effectively took place all over the country so as to see how best they can reduce such gases.
He said they have an opportunity where one of the consultants at the World Bank had a seminar with them, adding that during the seminar it was clear that 25-80 per cent of the deaths around the world are being caused by gasses.
He furthered that this became the highest killer and Africa or underdeveloped countries are mostly being affected as compared to developed countries. He said our economy so far was worst in GDP because of gases, adding that when they drew up these areas they made operations on unlicensed vehicles and they made an arrest of two hundred and four vehicles, ensuring that the drivers were punished.
He said they were charged to court and fined, adding that remedies were raised for the GDP of the government which amounted to one hundred and thirty-three million old leones.
He said on the second area, also on the artificial decoration, they effected serious operations and arrested about three hundred vehicles and the outcome is that they made about one hundred and thirty-three million old leones saved in the government’s coffers.
He said on the overloading of bikes, they arrested one hundred and fifty bikes and the people who were overloaded were impounded and the process made the government seventy-five thousand new leones.
He said with everything put together the whole country made about three hundred and eight thousand new leones from January to 10 July, 2024.