Six Farmers Jailed 5 Years for Non-Acquisition of Mineral Rights

Six Farmers Jailed 5 Years for Non-Acquisition of Mineral Rights

On June 23, 2026, Magistrate George B. Samai of Magistrate Court No. 2 in Kenema sentenced five farmers from Sembehun village to five years of imprisonment for the non-acquisition of mineral rights. 

The defendants—Bobor Kanneh, Ibrahim Kanneh, Musa Kengo, Momoh Koroma, Tamba Maxwell, and Bockarie Monya—were found guilty of mining for gold without a valid license in the Gola Rain Reserved area of Gbahama village on June 4, 2026. This activity stands in violation of Section 21, Subsection 1 of the Mines and Minerals Act of 2009.

During the proceedings, Court Clerk Emmanuel Cooper read the charges to the defendants, who pleaded guilty and requested leniency. 

The court provided an alternative to the five-year sentence, allowing each defendant to pay a government fine of One Thousand, Five Hundred New Leones (NLe 1,500.00). 

The case was prosecuted by Police Inspector Aiah Mafinda Teh of the Legal and Justice Support Department, while the defendants were represented by Defense Counsel Abdalla Sanusie S. Koroma Esq.

In a separate legal development, Mohamed Sheriff of Torkpumbu II section in Kenema was convicted of domestic violence under Section 2, Subsection 1 (b) of the Domestic Violence Act No. 20 of 2007. 

Court records indicate that on June 2, 2026, Sheriff unreasonably withheld Twenty-Two Thousand New Leones (NLe 22,000.00) belonging to his mother, despite her reasonable expectation of its use. Sheriff pleaded guilty to the charge and was sentenced to 18 months of imprisonment at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre (SLCC) in Kenema.

 The matter was prosecuted by Police Constable 3492 Tonya Musa.