Late President Stevens’ children claim lands in two more villages!
August 3, 2016 By Joseph S. Margai
The tussle over vast tract of lands in Malambay village, in the Western Area Rural District, has now taken a new twist as two more villages are being claimed by children of the late former President Siaka P. Stevens, who have gone ahead to brush lands at Maboikandoh and Makandoh.
The two villages are neighbours with Malambay, and their inhabitants have also reported this ugly development to Hon. Hassan Gbessay Kanu, who is the ‘godfather’ of the six villages in the Malambay area.
At a meeting held last Sunday at Fellow Farm, the village head of Maboikandoh, Isatu Kamara, complained that children of the late President Stevens had brushed and destroyed their crops. She added that hundreds of youth were seen brushing lands in the village and the inhabitants were afraid to approach them because of fear of being assaulted by the mob.
“Agriculture is the only means of our livelihood in the village. Now that our crops and nurseries have been destroyed by the Stevens, we are going to starve,” she said.
Madam Kamara said youth hired by late President Stevens’ children stormed her village as if they were going to a battle.
“They don’t even want to listen to anyone and we don’t have the power to stop them. They brush anything they come in contact with and this has really worried us in the village now,” she said.
Meanwhile, residents of the three villages – Malambay, Maboikandoh and Makandoh – are of the view that the tussle over lands was cause by a man they hold in high esteem – Hon. Hassan Gbessay Kanu.
“All what we are facing now is brought to us by Hon. Hassan Gbessay Kanu. The wordings on the document given by Hon. Kanu to the children of the late Siaka P. Stevens reads: “Property of Dr. Siaka P. Stevens at Joe Town and not Malambay,” says one of the aggrieved persons from Malambay who prefers anonymity. The aggrieved person added that if the Stevens wanted to claim what is in the document given to them by Hon. Kanu, they should have claimed lands in Joe Town where the latter owns many acreages of land, and not Malambay.
However, Hon. Kanu, who is a former minister in the Stevens’ regime, has categorically told the children of the late President to stop brushing lands in the two villages because the conveyance document does not indicate ownership of lands in the three villages.
“You don’t have lands at Maboikandoh and Makandoh villages. You should tell the youth who are brushing for you in those villages to stop doing so now,” he warned.
He added that he was optimistic there would be an amicable resolution.