By Joseph Momoh, Staff Reporter
Parliament on Tuesday unanimously enacted the National Security and Central Intelligence Act 2025, replacing the 2023 statute after what lawmakers described as a “line-by-line” review to tighten Sierra Leone’s security framework.
The bill, tabled by Chief Minister Dr. David Moinina Sengeh, was passed with amendments following extensive debate and scrutiny at committee stage.
Presenting the Legislative Committee’s report, Chairman Hon. Abdul Sulaiman Marray-Conteh said the bill underwent “careful and thoughtful scrutiny” with input from security experts. “We examined the bill sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, and clause by clause to strengthen its provisions,” Marray-Conteh told the House.
The new law repeals and replaces the National Security and Central Intelligence Act, No. 2 of 2023, and addresses related matters concerning the country’s security architecture.
Tuesday’s vote caps weeks of closed-door vetting between MPs and national security officials. However, the specific amendments were not disclosed in plenary. Nevertheless, lawmakers said the changes would enhance oversight and coordination among intelligence agencies. Meanwhile, the Act is expected to take effect once it receives presidential assent.
Moreover, the revision signals Parliament’s intent to modernize intelligence operations amid evolving threats. Notwithstanding the broad support, Marray-Conteh stressed that implementation would be key to “ensuring the law serves both security and civil liberties.”
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