Mr Yankuba Askia Bio,General ManagerSLPHA
The Siera Leone Ports and Harbours Authority (SLPHA) has dissociated itself from a story published by Manchester Evening News and captioned: “The enormous shipment of cocaine from Sierra Leone destined for an industrial estate in Wigan.”
The said publication alleged among other things that sometime in August 2022 a consignment of class ‘A’ goods (cocaine) was shipped from Sierra Leone and that nine (9) suspects (non-Sierra Leoneans) were arrested and seven (7) arraigned before a Court in the United Kingdom.
The Siera Leone Ports and Harbours Authority has stated in a Press Release that “the export records presented to SLPHA for the period under review show that the Port of Freetown did not export flour (within which the said cocaine consignment was included) as claimed by the publication.”SLPHA clarified that it has NOT received any Official Report of the aforesaid allegation from any International Ports Organisation or the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom.
SLPHA says they have engaged the leadership of the Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) and other relevant security establishments for a prompt investigation into the veracity of the said allegation. “As a reputable member of many International Ports Organisations such as the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Association for Ports and Harbours (IAPH), and Ports Management Association for West and Central Africa (PMAWCA).
These International Ports Organisations are governed by defined rules and regulations regarding methods of seeking or addressing high standards in port operations. The SLPHA has NOT received any Official Report of the aforesaid allegation from any International Ports Organisation or the National Crime Agency of the United Kingdom,” the Press Release added.
On two consecutive occasions, the Port of Freetown has been awarded the ‘Best Port in Import and Export Traffic Growth in the Africa Sub-region’ in the 6th and 7th Editions of the Africa Ports Awards Ceremonies held in Luanda, Angola in 2022 and in Lagos, Nigeria in 2023 respectively.
The Management of SLPHA assures the public that it remains committed to collaborating with all the relevant local and international stakeholders in ensuring a drug-free port.
