383 Acres for the Church, 60 for the Community: Sierra Leone Methodists End a Seven-Year Land Fight

• The United Methodist Church in Sierra Leone settled a seven-year dispute over 443 acres near Freetown
• The church received 383 acres and the Masantigie community 60 acres
• Five church members were wounded in a dawn raid during the dispute
• The church must develop the land within two years, with plans for a Methodist university

The United Methodist Church’s Sierra Leone Conference has settled a seven-year dispute over land in rural eastern Freetown, UM News reported on February 5, 2020, in a report by Phileas Jusu.

The Pa Loko property covers 443 acres. Under the settlement, the church received 383 acres, including 256 surveyed acres and 127 acres not in dispute, while the Masantigie community received 60 acres. The dispute ended in August 2019, and a ceremony was held on January 15, 2020.

The Masantigie community had lost at least two lawsuits over the land. At one point five church members were wounded in a dawn raid on the property, three of them seriously. Deputy Minister Alex Bhonapha warned that “if this peace is breached by anybody, (the) government will come in full force” and said: “This is the finality to that agreement.” Rev Solomon Rogers said the outcome upheld the Scripture that “righteousness exalts a nation.”

The settlement came with conditions. The church must develop the land within two years and present a plan for a Methodist university before building.

Large church landholdings in Jamaica can also sit idle for years and attract rival claims. The Sierra Leone settlement shows that negotiation can settle what lawsuits alone did not, and that a deal with neighbours can secure the bulk of the land. It also shows that holding land brings obligations. A clear development plan and timetable make it easier to defend a church’s title and put the land to use.