By Aruna Turay
The Ministry of Information and Communications, the National Cybersecurity Coordination Centre and the Security Sector in Sierra Leone have issued a strong warning to individual or group of individuals who engage in acts related to Cyber Terrorism that they are committing an offence that is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not less than 10 years and not exceeding 20 years.
The Sector reminded culprits of Section 51 Subsection 1 of the Cybersecurity and Crime Act, 2021 which states: “Any individual or group of individuals who engage in acts related to cyber terrorism, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not less than 10 years and not exceeding 20 years”.
It continued that Section 49 (1) also indicates: “Anyone who aids in such an act, which in this instance is the spreading of incendiary information on social media platforms to destabilise the State also commits the same crime”.
The Sector also reminded that government has now put mechanisms in place for a robust monitoring of the social media spaces and platforms that can be accessed by Sierra Leoneans, adding that the government therefore wishes to draw the public’s attention to that and is warning the public that anyone who is caught in the sharing of such information shall face the full consequence of the law.
The Sector encouraged WhatsApp Group Administrators (Admins) to regulate the contents of posts on their respective platforms as they would be held wholly responsible for creating and hosting a platform that does not only run contrary to the country’s values as a society but also threatens the stability of the nation.
