By Ibrahim Sesay
Two men have been remanded at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema after being arraigned before Magistrate Court No. 1 on serious criminal charges of murder and attempted murder.
The accused persons are Abu Kamando, a farmer from Madina Village in Wandor Chiefdom and Mohamed Sheriff, a herbalist based in Kenema City, Nongowa Chiefdom. Both defendants are residents of the Kenema Judicial District. They were brought before the court on January 8, 2025 and remanded by His Worship Magistrate Hadiru Daboh.
Abu Kamando is facing a charge of murder, contrary to Section 1 of the Offences Against the Persons Act of 1861, as repealed and replaced by Section 1 of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act No. 6 of 2022. According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly murdered Bundu Kamando on Saturday, June 28, 2025, in the bush at Kamando Village, Wandor Chiefdom, within the Kenema Judicial District in Sierra Leone’s Eastern Province.
Prosecutors told the court that the offence is indictable and therefore cannot be tried summarily at the magistrate level. In line with standard legal procedure, no plea was taken from the accused. Magistrate Daboh ordered that Abu Kamando be remanded at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema pending further proceedings. The matter has been adjourned to January 20, 2026, for continuation.
In a separate case, Mohamed Sheriff was arraigned on multiple counts, including attempted murder, wounding with intent and causing grievous bodily harm with intent, all contrary to Section 18 of the Offences Against the Persons Act of 1861. The prosecution alleged that on Wednesday, December 24, 2025, at No. 17 Sheikh Abubakarr Street, Lumbebu Axis, Kenema City, the accused attacked Michel Paul Nicole.
The court heard that Mohamed Sheriff allegedly inflicted severe injuries on the victim’s hands and legs, cut off the victim’s left thumb with a machete, and sprayed a liquid suspected to be acid into the victim’s eyes. Prosecutors said the nature of the injuries sustained was serious and life-threatening, prompting the charge of attempted murder.
As in the murder case, no plea was taken from Mohamed Sheriff due to the seriousness of the allegations. The magistrate ordered that he be remanded at the Sierra Leone Correctional Centre in Kenema. The matter has been adjourned to January 16, 2026, for preliminary investigation proceedings.
Both cases are being prosecuted by Sulaiman Kamara, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) attached to the Legal and Justice Support Department of the Kenema Police Division.
Court officials emphasized that the remand of the accused persons does not imply guilt, noting that investigations and legal processes are still ongoing. The cases have drawn attention in Kenema due to the seriousness of the allegations, as the judiciary continues to process violent crime cases in accordance with the law and principles of fair hearing.
