A brewing land dispute is threatening to overshadow the ongoing construction of the Lelekpayea Community Market as local landowner Orando Zarwolo has threatened to pursue legal action against Bong County District #2 Representative James Kolleh over an alleged unpaid land agreement.
By: Edwin N. Khakie
Bong County, July 16, 2025: Zarwolo claims that Representative Kolleh promised to pay him USD 10,000 for the land currently being used for the construction of the community market. The payment, according to Zarwolo, was supposed to come from a $50,000 budget allocation made during the Bong County Emergency Development Sitting, specifically earmarked for the market project.
Speaking to reporters, Zarwolo said, “Representative Kolleh personally assured me that I would be compensated as soon as the groundbreaking for the market took place. That ceremony has come and gone, construction is underway, but I have not received a cent.”
The Lelekpayea Community Market is being constructed by the Saikei Group of Companies, under the leadership of Cooper S. Korlah. Despite visible progress on the site, Zarwolo insists that using his land without fulfilling the payment agreement is both unethical and unlawful.
In response to the growing tension, County Administrative Officer Samuel Elliott Sr. has pledged to review the situation and clarify the County’s official stance on the allocation of the $50,000.
County Finance Officer Silas Tokpah also weighed in, stating that while the market project was initiated by the District #2 Commissioner, the county leadership was not formally informed that the land was privately owned.
“We were under the impression that the land had already been secured for public use,” Tokpah said. “Now that this has come to light, we will sit with Superintendent Loleyah Hawa Norris and all parties involved to ensure that the rightful owner is treated fairly and the matter is resolved amicably.”
As the controversy unfolds, concerns are growing among community members about the potential stalling of the market project, which is intended to boost local commerce and provide a central trading hub for hundreds of residents in and around Lelekpayea.
Zarwolo has provided no formal timeline for initiating legal action but maintains that he is prepared to take the matter to court if the agreed-upon sum is not paid.
“I am not against development,” he stated. “But development must be done the right way. You cannot build a market on someone’s land and refuse to pay for it.
Multiple efforts by this paper to contact Representative James Kolleh for clarification or comment have proven unsuccessful up to press time. -Edited by Othello B. Garblah.
