By Ibrahim Karim Bangura (Tanko)

Pentagon, a community located at Kamayama, Lumley in Freetown, has long been considered one of the most vulnerable neighborhoods in terms of disaster in the country over the years. Pentagon has faced a series of devastating challenges, including the Ebola epidemic, mudslide, and the coronavirus pandemic.

Now, the community is grappling with a new and deceptive threat from an alleged land grabber claiming 38 acres as he named the drive Derick Thoronka drive.

In a WhatsApp interview with Mr. Thoronka reacted on the land claims from England that he had a freehold of over the 38 acres of land at pentagon community, adding that the battle for land started since 2010 and majority of the squats strongly refused to vacate his place he had bought at the community.

“I have a court order which gives me full possession of the said land; I am going to act on through the court orders now,” he said.

In his statement, Section Chief, M.S. Konteh said Pentagon now faces a fresh threat from Derick Thoronka, the son of the late Brigadier Thoronka.

Derick Thoronka is claimed by the community people to have aggressively attempted to seize the said piece of land in the community, thus leading to heightened tensions and fears of displacement among other residents.

Residents have reported instances of intimidation and violence, saying Thoronka and his associates attempted to forcefully evict families from their homes.

They noted that Thoronka’s actions were not only illegal but also morally reprehensible particularly to the community people.

They said they have already endured so much suffering from the hands of this land grabber.

His attempts to destroy homes and to marginalize the people of Pentagon are a stark reminder of the persistent challenges faced by vulnerable communities in Sierra Leone.

The residents of Pentagon said they are determined to resist these unlawful encroachments by him at all costs.

But they needed support from the government and civil society to defend their rights to be able to secure their homes again claimed by the land grabber.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Migrate Kamara, a resident of Pentagon community has been an example of the vulnerabilities faced by marginalized communities in Sierra Leone.

It is imperative that the government and international organizations step in to provide the necessary support to rebuild and strengthen Pentagon and its environs.

This includes enforcing laws against land grabbing, investing in sustainable development, and improving on healthcare services and community infrastructure.

Pentagon’s story is one of the shinning examples of people’s resilience and solidarity shown in the fight to protect community heritage and community land ownership.

Despite facing immense hardships, the community has on several times come together to support one other to rebuild the place they had lived for long.

Advocates say it is now time for a show of broader society of togetherness and to stand up with the people and Pentagon community, thus ensuring that its residents can live with a life of safety and dignity, free from the threat of displacement and future disasters.

During the Ebola epidemic, mudslide, coronavirus pandemic, and now the threat of land grabbing, the people these events underscore the need for sustained support and intervention from outside.

The community’s strength and spirit is evident in their continued fight for a better future, despite they have seen repeated adversities.

It is a testament to their resilience that they remain steadfast in the face of such challenges. The time has come for all of us to stand with Pentagon and help them secure the safe and prosperous future they deserve, an advocate has said.

“Government must inform us regarding any demolition process; the situation is sad for people at the moment,” a community advocate, has said.

Hassanatu Barrie, a victim sadly vented out her strong feeling, saying that the military and police officers were currently on the ground while the demolition process had been massive and miserable.

“My house was demolished seriously, I have legal documents for my property to show for from the then Minister of Lands since 2011 to date.”

“It is unfortunate for our nation, I have spent over Seven Hundred Million Leones, and the central government is unable to explain to us with regards the broke-ose (house demolition) process in our communities,” he said.

The occupants say they were never served a written notice or been warned before from any competent court of law.

Some Sierra Leoneans have described the unauthorized demolition exercise which took place on Friday, 10th May, 2024 was done by some “heartless” government officials with impunity.

The Operation Support Division (OSD)’s officers were said to have been armed while evicting occupants.

But reports say the OSDs never gave prior notification to the residents.

The occupants said further that they were not served a written notice or being warned before by any authority of a competent court of law.