“WHEN YOUR PHONE BECOMES A PICKPOCKET, PARLIAMENT DRAWS THE LINE ON DIGITAL THEFT:
By David K.Fengai
Sierra Leone’s Parliament Summons Orange SL, Communication Ministry, and Cyber Agencies Over Scam Concerns:
Freetown — The floor of Parliament turned into a courtroom for cyberspace this week as the Speaker, Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas, ordered a full reckoning with the institutions meant to keep Sierra Leoneans safe online.
In response to a damning complaint by Opposition Whip Hon. Abdul Karim Kamara, aka AKK, Parliament will now question Orange Sierra Leone, the Ministry of Communication, Technology and Innovation, NaTCA, and the Cyber Crime Unit over what lawmakers called a “growing epidemic” of online scams and mobile money fraud.
AKK told the House that ordinary citizens are being bled dry — not at gunpoint, but through their phones. He cited a troubling pattern: scam calls, fake loan alerts, SIM-swap attacks, and mobile money hacks increasingly traced to Orange Sierra Leone numbers.
“Our people wake up with empty wallets and full regrets. Market women, teachers, okada riders. The phone that was supposed to connect us is now being used to disconnect us from our money,” AKK told Parliament.
The Speaker did not hesitate. Hon. Segepoh Solomon Thomas directed that the Minister, NaTCA DG, Cyber Crime Unit Commander, and Orange Sierra Leone executives appear before Parliament to account.
“Why are the fraudsters wearing Orange as camouflage? Who is watching the watchmen? Parliament will get answers,” the Speaker declared, as members thundered approval.
The summons comes at a time when mobile money is the backbone of daily survival in Sierra Leone. From paying school fees to sending rice money to the village, Leones now live on a SIM card. Yet with that convenience has come a dark side: impersonation, phishing, and coordinated fraud rings operating in plain sight.
Civil society groups and consumer advocates have welcomed the move, saying self-regulation by telcos has failed to keep up with criminals who evolve faster than policies.
Parliament’s probe is expected to examine 3 critical areas:
1. SIM Registration Enforcement — Are ghost lines still being sold?
2. Fraud Detection at Orange — What systems exist to flag and block scam numbers?
3. Prosecution Capacity — Does the Cyber Crime Unit have the tools to chase and jail digital thieves?
For Speaker Thomas, this is not about politics. It is about protection. “Technology must serve the people, not rob them,” he said.
The message from Parliament is clear and classic: if you use our networks to steal from our people, you will answer to our people.
