Sylvia Olayinka Blyden Slams Minister Sengeh Over WhatsApp Scam Reaction, Raises Security Concerns

Prominent political commentator and senior journalist Dr Sylvia Olayinka Blyden has sharply criticised Chief Minister Dr David Moinina Sengeh over his response to a recent attempted WhatsApp scam targeting Minister of Information and Civic Education, Chernor Bah, arguing that the incident exposes broader weaknesses in Sierra Leone’s national security framework.

Dr Blyden’s comments followed social media exchanges in which Minister Bah disclosed that he had narrowly escaped a WhatsApp scam after a fraudster requested money through an Orange Money account.

In response, Chief Minister Sengeh called for the arrest of those responsible and stated that authorities must make it “very costly” for criminals to hack people’s phones. Minister Bah subsequently agreed, urging telecommunications operators and security agencies to track phone numbers linked to fraudulent activities.