Samuel Kallon 
By Ragan M. Conteh
Few years back, mudslide claimed thousands of lives at the Mortormeh community after a downpour lasted for hours on August 14, 2017.
The recent spate of land grabbing and the use of bulldozers to clean places for housing on the hills of Charlotte village has been reported by community stakeholders. They said it is a threat to their lives.
According to a stakeholder, Denis Val careless, said land grabbers aided by the Chief and Hon Adama Conteh are now putting the lives of the landowners at risk.
Denis Valcarcel has also stated that the plots of land that have been left for either domestic tourism or recreational facilities have been grabbed by authorities and other people.
“Even us as land owners we are at threat to these land grabbers. What is more heartrending is that face beating by landowners’ thugs. The thugs are hired by Hon Adama Conteh and the Chief of the village,” Denis Valcarcel said.
He added people are now going as far as building on the catchment areas thereby putting the public at risk.
He maintained that the community is now prone to mudslides because the use of bulldozers and other dangerous activities are the order of the day.
Denis Valcarcel said Charlotte stakeholders have made tremendous efforts since they had mudslide in 1945, that is about 79 years ago.
He informed that now the community has become porous to national threat of environmental disaster.
He stated that the reason they decided to push very hard to control their village is because they’re born and bred in the community so they have passion for the village.
He said as stakeholders they don’t want to see the prone areas be tampered with especially like the Tagogama forest, the Hills and mountains and other protected areas that are within Charlotte community.
Valcarcel also spoke on the waterfall where they used to have peace corps but visitors have been invaded there.
He said they are calling on the attention of the Office of the National Security to visit the community as land grabbers are putting the lives of citizens at threat.
Denis Valcarcel said this is the only time to put measures in place and stop illegal activities at Charlotte community from going on.
He pointed out that as community owners they now see machines bulldozing roads on the hills which have the potential for a terrible disasters to happen in future.
He buttressed that these land grabbers are taking machines to the hills of Charlotte village ans so they have vicious plans to risking the lives of many.
This medium has also been informed that the Charlotte Landowners have taken the current All People’s Congress (APC) party female Member of Parliament, Hon Rev. Adama Conteh.
The Charlotte Community stakeholders said, they are currently facing serious violation and they are no longer respected as landowners.
“Hundreds of acres of our land have been invaded by land grabbers. We have been treated like foreigners on our property.”
“The grabbing of our lands has exceeded that even the lands that we have reserved for schools construction and markets have been sold off, ” Rachael English said.
According to Rachael English, all those that are perpetuating violence and “grabbing our lands are not indigenes of Charlotte,” adding that they “land grabbers are even hiring thugs to victimise our people.”
She said in spite of the several complaints and strides to get rid of those alleged land grabbers they are continue to invade their property.
Rachel English described the act as a recipe for chaos and an act of deceit, therefore called for President Julius Maada Bio intervention.
Speaking to this medium earlier last month, Mr. Denis Valcarcel also spoke on move by foreigners to push away land owners from their property.
“Our community is like a new barracks wherein every one that grabs land will employ Military officers to guide it. We feel threats in a daily basis. But we are not going to relent in seeking justice” he said
He pointed out that, the Green belt areas preserved by government is now targeted by these land property grabbers.
Valcarcel went further that, the agenda of these invaders is to take ownership of their Charlotte village and make it their own.
He revealed that the community is now seeking legal actions for the pains and suffering inflicted upon them by land grabbers.
The APC MP, Hon Adama Conteh has told journalists few months ago that, some Charlotte community stakeholders’ claims against her is false.
She told the media at her residents that, he was only contracted by the Ministry of Lands to give roads to the lands they plotted.
“I am not a citizen of Charlotte Village. Why should I engage myself in land grabbing affair , these allegations are false and baseless,” she told the media.
However, she planned to take legal actions against anyone who is tarnishing her hard-earned reputation.
“Charlotte is not the only community that I have worked for. I have worked at so many areas around the city. Some give me lands, some pay me,” Hon Conteh said.
