Landlady Testifies in Regent Road Insult Case

A key witness took the stand today in an ongoing trial involving allegations of public insults and provocative conduct on Regent Road, Freetown, offering dramatic details of a confrontation that allegedly featured abusive language, political threats, and personal slander.

Fredicia Kamara, a local businesswoman and landlady at 26 Regent Road, testified before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2. She recounted her observations of the dispute involving the complainants, Euzebius Uche Nuaji and Virginia Nuaji, and the three defendants: Yainkain Kargbo, Kadiatu Kabia, and Lansana Bakarr.

The defendants were formally charged on June 30, 2026, under the Public Order Act with public insult and provocation. According to prosecution filings, the trio allegedly targeted the Nuaji couple on May 20, 2026, launching a verbal assault outside their residence in a manner likely to incite a breach of the peace.

During her testimony, Kamara noted that she had known the Nuaji family as tenants for roughly 15 years in an amicable capacity. On the day of the incident, she recalled hearing a commotion from her shop and stepping outside to investigate, where she witnessed the accused hurling insults and issuing threats.

Specific details raised during the hearing pointed to alarmingly hostile language. Kamara testified that the first accused, Yainkain Kargbo, made provocative comments making reference to political violence in South Africa and Nigeria. Furthermore, she stated that the second and third accused threatened to inform Mr. Uche’s wife about the altercation while directing crude remarks and allegations of sexual misconduct at Samba Gutter toward Mrs. Nuaji.

Kamara emphasized that she promptly reported the matter to both local police and the Freetown City Council, clarifying that she participated in the trial strictly as a witness rather than a direct complainant.

Under cross-examination, defense counsel pressed Kamara on her relationship with the complainants and suggested she was withholding facts regarding the defendants' actions. 

Kamara rejected the claims, asserting that she maintained a standard landlady-tenant arrangement and was not close friends with the family.

She also revealed prior friction regarding the property, noting that vending activities by the accused had obstructed her premises—an issue she had previously requested them to clear. She firmly denied any bias or misrepresentation in her testimony.

Magistrate Fornah adjourned the proceedings to August 24, 2026, for the continuation of evidence and further arguments from both legal teams.