33 Accused Jailed for Loitering in Kenema

Thirty-three accused persons arrested by the Sierra Leone Police (SLP) in Kenema have been convicted and either sent to prison or ordered to pay alternative fines by the courts.

Twelve of the accused were arraigned before Principal Magistrate Hadiru Daboh of Magistrate Court No. 1 in Kenema on charges of loitering, contrary to Section 7 of the Public Order Act No. 46 of 1965. All 12 pleaded guilty and begged for mercy. They were each sentenced to six months’ imprisonment or, in the alternative, to pay a fine of Five Hundred New Leones (NLe 500).

According to the prosecution, the accused were found loitering for an unlawful purpose within the Kenema municipality on Sunday, August 31, 2025.

In a separate case, 21 accused persons appeared before Magistrate Wilbri Hamida M. John of Magistrate Court No. 2, also on charges of loitering. They were arrested on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, in the city of Kenema. All pleaded guilty and requested leniency.

The eighth accused, Serah Koroma, the only female among the group, was cautioned and discharged due to ill health, following a plea in mitigation by Defence Counsel Dauda Gbow Esq. on behalf of AdvocAid and lawyer Joseph Bandabla Dauda (JBD).

Three of the accused Ibrahim Koroma, Shiaka Kamara, and Ansu Musa believed to be juveniles, were sentenced to one week in prison or a fine of One Hundred and Fifty New Leones (NLe 150) each. The remaining accused were each fined Three Hundred New Leones (NLe 300) or, in default, sentenced to one month’s imprisonment at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema.

The prosecutions were led by Police Constable 15361 Vonja Thomas and Sergeant 4654 Bakarr Watta.