By Mamajah Jalloh
A Sierra Leonean photographer, Lindon Thomas, made his first appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura at Pademba Road Court No.2 on Monday, 12th May 2025, facing multiple charges related to an alleged robbery and assault.
Thomas was arraigned on three charges: Robbery with Aggravation, Wounding, and Assault Occasioning Actual Bodily Harm. The charges stem from an incident on Sunday, 16th February 2025, in Waterloo, Western Rural District, where Thomas allegedly robbed Joseph Thoronka, a motorbike rider.
According to the charges, Thomas, armed with a syringe, allegedly stole Thoronka’s motorbike (registration number A S Z 735), valued at 16,000 Leones, a Techno Pop 2 mobile phone worth 2,500 Leones, and 540 Leones in cash—bringing the total value of the stolen items to 19,040 Leones. During the robbery, it is also claimed that Thomas used personal violence against Thoronka.
In addition to the robbery charge, Thomas faces allegations of malicious wounding and assault causing actual bodily harm to Thoronka on the same date.
When the charges were read, Thomas did not enter a plea.
During the proceedings, Assistant Commissioner of Police Joan M.S. Bull led the second prosecution witness, Isatu Baimba, who testified about the events. Baimba recounted that on the night of the incident, she heard Thoronka crying outside her house. She approached him and found him on the ground, bleeding and in distress, but did not recognize the accused. According to Baimba, Thoronka repeatedly referred to his attacker as a “bad man” and explained he had been violently beaten and robbed.
Isatu later provided first aid and contacted Thoronka’s family. She described Thoronka as being in such a condition that he could not walk properly, and had even urinated blood later that night.
Defense counsel T. Foday Musa Esq. renewed a previous application for bail on behalf of the accused. However, Magistrate Bangura denied the bail request, ordering that Thomas be remanded at the Male Correctional Facility in Freetown.
The case has been adjourned until 19th May 2025 for further proceedings.
Supreme Court Orders Fresh Hearing in Manslaughter Case Involving Former Bank Manager
By Mamajah Jalloh
The Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, under the leadership of Chief Justice Komba Kamanda, has ordered a fresh hearing in the high-profile manslaughter case involving former Sky Bank Manager Ikubolaji Nicol. The ruling, delivered on Friday, 9th May 2025, mandates that the case be returned to the High Court, where it will be heard by a newly appointed judge.
Ikubolaji Nicol is charged with manslaughter in connection with the unlawful death of Sinnah Kai Kargbo in 2022. The case, which has experienced significant delays, reached the Supreme Court after Nicol’s legal team, led by lawyer Roland R.V. Wright, filed an application seeking to prevent the current High Court judge, Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, from presiding over the matter.
In a swift one-day hearing, Chief Justice Kamanda, alongside Justice A.M. Bangura and Court of Appeal judges, ruled that while the High Court should continue with the case, a new judge must be appointed to take charge of the proceedings.
Chief Justice Kamanda stressed the urgency of moving the trial forward, emphasizing the need to resolve the procedural challenges that had hindered the progress of the case.
The State was represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Osman Kanu, while the defense was led by Roland Wright & Associates.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ikubolaji Nicol remains remanded at the Pademba Road Male Correctional Centre and is set to appear before the newly assigned High Court judge at the earliest opportunity.
