With what is underway as “thorough investigation” into the latest spate of Cocaine and other related scandals championed by the Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leoneans are looking forward to a comprehensively undiluted report that reveals the realities on the ground relating the covert and overt actions of some elements of the Government’s system and machinery that are already in the public domain.
There is the widespread belief by concerned Sierra Leoneans from all walks of life and some members of the international community that Europe’s most wanted drug dealer cum smuggler Jos Leijdekkers is not only being protected by members of the government but also enjoys the benefits of being friends with people in power and those closest to them.
Meanwhile, as Reuters and Dutch authorities continue to believe that wanted cocaine smuggler Jos Leijdekkers is enjoying protection from certain members of the Sierra Leone government, another disclosure about how deeply enmeshed the convicted drug dealer might be in the system popped up when it was recently disclosed that Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh was seen in a video with Leijdekkers.
In that video, shot some three years ago at the popular seaside hotel, nightclub, and restaurant Lagoonda in Aberdeen, Freetown, a citizen was shot, allegedly by a white guy (Jos Leijdekkers) or those close to him, for which there was an alleged settlement or agreement where the citizen was ultimately flown to Turkey for treatment for his injuries.
Sources and members of the international community including some members of the diplomatic community have said that while the government had denied any connection to the notorious drug smuggler and money launderer and that he has only been around for six months, the 3 year old or 2022 video featuring Leijdekkers and the current Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh including the disclaimer by Kanneh and his office of only being in the video as a peacemaker having no knowledge of the parties involved in the incident that led to a citizen being shot allegedly by Leijdekkers or someone in his entourage has exposed the government and Kanneh of complicity in providing protection for Leijdekkers for personal gain.
“What was Alusine Kanneh, the country’s Chief Immigration Officer doing with Jos Leijdekkers at a club in Sierra Leone in 2022 when Europol was looking for Leijdekkers? Who is Jos Leijdekkers to Alusine Kanneh? So instead of being here for six months now we know that Leijdekkers has been here for as far back as 2022. This young man has been on the run for over a decade now. This makes any press release from anyone that is suspected of having any link to Jos Leijdekkers denying knowledge of who he is, or having a relationship with him would be something to take with a pinch of salt, something that is hard to believe. Since the denial by the ministry of information of the president not having any knowledge of the identity of Jos Leijdekkers we are slowly watching this story unravel showing that they knew about his person and identity,” said a member of the international community.
The diplomat said that Kanneh’s relationship with Leijdekkers is of particular interest to them as the latter is the head of Sierra Leone’s Immigration Department.
“The disclosure of Alusine Kanneh in that video at Lagoonda when the young man was allegedly shot should not have been made before Kanneh denied not knowing Bolle Jos. If he didn’t have anything to hide he should have come out and say that he was in that video before people started releasing videos. His silence as the nation’s chief immigration officer while we were trying to establish Jos’s identity is consent. If this was another society Alusine Kanneh would have handed his resignation letter to the president by now. But just as the information minister denying the president having no knowledge of this personality, we also don’t believe that Alusine Kanneh does not know who Jos Leijdekkers is. Imagine that the head of a nation’s immigration department is saying that he does not know a foreign national that should be under his department’s purview. Do you think this is possible?” the European diplomat asked.
According to one of our sources in the intelligence community, there is an allegation that Jos Leijdekkers was introduced to the government by members in this regime who had worked in Europe and very familiar with Jos Leijdekkers and his reputation.
The intelligence officer alleged: “Jos has a diplomatic passport. He was introduced to this regime as an investor from Europe by those who know him. We have several members of this regime that worked for European governments and the Chief Immigration Officer is one of them. Now that the relationship between Leijdekkers and Kanneh has been confirmed to three years ago, interestingly since this news of his relationship with Jos all reference to Kanneh having worked as an immigration officer for a European country has been removed from online. Why? The immigration department should know Jos Leijdekkers assumed name and the passport number. He uses this passport to travel in and out of the country.”
“Since our passports are under the control of our immigration department how can Jos Leijdekkers get a hold of our passport without the knowledge of the CIO (chief immigration officer)? What we know is that regardless of Kanneh denying knowledge of or relationship with Leijdekkers, him allegedly travelling with our diplomatic passport makes Kanneh’s denial suspect,” the national security officer continued.
Together with the diplomat, our source alleged that according to intelligence collected on the immigration boss, the head of Sierra Leone’s immigration department lives a lifestyle that “when compared to his monthly salary he should not be living.”
“Kanneh’s lifestyle is beyond his pay grade. His salary does not qualify him to live the kind of fast life he is living. We are told that recently someone allegedly stole $500,000 (five hundred thousand United States dollars) from Alusine Kanneh. Where did he get all that money from? Business dealings, other government pay we don’t know of, did he win a government contract?” our source asked rhetorically.
Meanwhile, Chief Immigration Officer Alusine Kanneh recently released a disclaimer on news reports of his relationship with Jos Leijdekkers, which has raised a lot of questions as to his integrity and for allegedly benefiting from his alleged or assumed relationship with Europe’s most wanted drug dealer.
In the disclaimer published by www.owlpress-sl.com the writer of the statement said it “serves to address and clarify the misinformation circulating regarding Hon. Alusine Kanneh, the Chief Immigration Officer of Sierra Leone, who was seen in a video allegedly involving Jos Leijdekkers, a man reported to be Europe’s most wanted drug dealer.”
“Firstly, we wish to categorically state that the video in question is an old video that incident happened in 2023…It being recycled to create unnecessary controversy and Aim to tarnish the good name of a Young Hard-working man. Hon. Alusine Kanneh was in the club during the incident as a peacekeeper, attempting to resolve a confrontation between two parties. At the time, Hon. Kanneh had no knowledge of the alleged identity or background of Jos Leijdekkers. His presence was solely in the interest of maintaining peace and had no connection to any illegal activity or association with the said individual. We are aware that certain individuals are using this situation out of jealousy and envy to tarnish the impeccable reputation of Hon. Kanneh. Let it be on record that he is a man of integrity and a dedicated public servant focused on transforming Sierra Leone’s immigration system for the betterment of the nation. The malicious allegations suggesting that Hon. Kanneh has been associating with a wanted drug dealer are completely unfounded and fabricated to discredit his efforts. He remains committed to his vision for Sierra Leone and will not be distracted by baseless accusations. We urge the public and media to refrain from spreading unfounded rumours and to respect the reputation of individuals who work tirelessly for the progress of Sierra Leone.”
In a related development, the allegation that Jos Leijdekkers has been enjoying protection and sanctuary by the government and members of the Bio led regime has lead members of the diplomatic community to advice that the Office of National Security, the Immigration, and Sierra Leone Police be excluded from playing any active role in the investigation into Jos’s protection by members of the government.
“The ONS should not be part of this investigation. They should not be expected to investigate this issue impartially. Drug dealing and smuggling is a matter of national security. It is also a matter of national security for someone to sit next to the president’s daughter and so close to the president for our security people not to know his identity. What if he was there to assassinate the president? They know Jos and are in denial like the Chief Immigration Officer. For example, we know from reliable sources that Jos Leijdekkers was recently at Lagoonda before the New Year’s Day event at Tihun under heavy security protection. Lagoonda is his favourite place to be; that’s where he meets his associates,” our source in the diplomatic community averred.
She went on to ask “why is the anticorruption commission not investigating this matter?”
The female diplomat and several concerned citizens asked the same question about the ACC, as the issue of drugs dealing and smuggling apart from the obvious corruption also involves one being given an advantage or benefitting illegally from a relationship.
“Really, why is the ACC’s Ben Kaifala not investigating this matter? Is Kaifala also complicit in this matter? There is a lot that we have to know. We have established through the confession of the chief immigration officer that Leijdekkers has been here since 2022, which was when Europol put out a wanted poster on Jos. This also means that the Sierra Leone Police should have known that this guy was wanted in Europe. So we have everyone denying not knowing Jos. But as the world turns as the days unfold, we are beginning to see that they know him. They are all finding it hard to deny that there is another big elephant in the room!” a concerned citizen wisecracked.
Meanwhile, in the midst of these melodramas, concerns are also been raised as to the lifestyles of certain key elements of the Maada Bio Government which concerned citizens are associating with the ill-gotten wealth apparently related to some sort of illicit activities. Some of these key members of the current Government have also lately been overtly associating with Leijdekkers, including Yusuf Keketoma Sandi, said to be the Legal Counsel/adviser to Jos Leijdekkers, the Inspector-General of Police, said to have provided special OSD Close Protection Guards to Leijdekkers and to some extent, the Commissioner of the Anti-Corruption Commission, Francis Ben Kaifala, who by all indications and perhaps by some kind of distrust, has been recluse from the investigation process of this matter that has taken the country’s name and image to an unpopular fame.
This medium will continue to watch the investigations…