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| President Koroma |
Mustapha Dumbuya, the Head of Sierra Leone National Security, has been
sacked after security agents seized 250kg of controversial Ebola blood
samples, bound for South Africa, at Lungi International Airport.
Dumbuya, a retired Brigadier-General, was relieved of his duties over
the weekend and was immediately replaced by his deputy, Ismail
Tarasid-Tarawally, subject to parliamentary approval.
However, no official reason was given for his sack.
Report say agents of the country’s Office of National Security (ONS),
which Gen. Dumbuya headed, on Friday intercepted a consignment of 2,592
serum samples in 72 boxes bound for South Africa.
The seizure of the Ebola blood samples triggered a wave of public
disenchantment, forcing the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (MOHS) and
the ONS to issue a joint clarification statement.
“The shipment was in line with an agreement between the MOHS and
National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) laboratory at Lakkah
to ship the samples to BSL4 Bio Safety Lab in South Africa for storage
and further research,’’ the statement said.
Report says Sierra Leone is one of the three West African countries
worst hit by the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) that had killed a total of
9,604 people mostly in the three countries that include Guinea and
Liberia.
Sierra Leone recorded the highest number of EVD at 11, 301 and the
second highest number of deaths at 3,461, behind Liberia with 4,037.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), transmission
remains widespread in the country, with 63 new confirmed cases in the
week leading to Feb. 22.
Source:
The News NG
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