By Janet A. Sesay
Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens of the High Court of Freetown has handed down sentences to five men found guilty for the murder of Reverend Father Augustine Dauda Amadu in Bo to 80 (eighty) years imprisonment each while the sixth convict was handed fourteen (14) years jail term for receiving stolen properties linked to the murder crime.
The convicted persons are Martin Sallu, Gbessay Sawray, Foday Sallu, John Bangali, Joseph Gikamaji Kamara, and Foday Alhassan Sesay.
They were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit robbery with aggravation, robbery with aggravation, conspiracy to murder, murder, and receiving stolen goods, contrary to Section 33(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916.
According to the indictment, the accused conspired between the 1st and 29th of August, 2025 in the Southern Province to commit robbery with aggravation. The prosecution further alleged that Martin Sallu, Gbessay Swaray, Foday Sallu, John Bangali, and Joseph Gikamaji Kamara, while armed with a firearm, robbed Reverend Father Augustine Dauda Amadu of a Lenovo laptop valued at US$350 and Le5,000 in cash.
The indictment also stated that the same accused persons conspired to murder and subsequently killed Reverend Father Amadu. The sixth accused, Foday Alhassan Sesay, was charged with receiving the stolen Lenovo laptop in Freetown on 29 August 2025, knowing it had been unlawfully obtained.
Delivering judgment, Justice Stevens noted that all six accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, he said the prosecution presented compelling evidence, including confessional statements made by some of the accused during police investigations.
The judge stated that the second accused, Gbessay Swaray, and the fifth accused, Joseph Gikamaji Kamara, admitted in their statements to haven participated in the killing of Reverend Father Amadu at the Parish Church in Kenema.
He further observed that the third accused, Foday Sallu, acknowledged knowing about the planned attack but failed to alert the authorities, despite having the opportunity to prevent the crime.
Justice Stevens said that Martin Sallu, Foday Sallu, and John Bangali elected to testify in their defence, but their evidence was largely self-serving and inconsistent with the detailed statements they had earlier provided to police regarding the planning and execution of the offence.
The court also heard that John Bangali admitted in his statement that the allegations against him were true and explained how he left home under the pretext of going hunting before taking part in the operation.
Regarding the sixth accused, Alhassan Sesay, the judge noted that he admitted purchasing the laptop despite knowing it had been stolen.
Justice Stevens relied heavily on the medical evidence presented by the prosecution. According to the autopsy report, Reverend Father Amadu sustained a broken neck and a fractured right hand. His body was discovered lying in a pool of blood inside a toilet.
Describing the killing as “brutal,” the judge said the accused gained nothing from taking the life of a man of God and failed to provide any justification for their actions.
The court further heard that Gbessay Swaray had previously been serving a life sentence for another offence, escaped during a prison break, and later became involved in the present crime.
Justice Stevens held that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and accordingly convicted all the accused persons.
During allocutus, the convicts pleaded for mercy, except Gbessay Swaray, who maintained that he was not responsible for the offence.
State Counsel Patrick Lumumba Williams informed the court that the minimum sentence for the offences was 14 years’ imprisonment.
In mitigation, Defence Counsel, Karim Kargbo of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board urged the court to temper justice with mercy, arguing that forgiveness remains a fundamental principle.
After considering the submissions of both sides, Justice Stevens sentenced Martin Sallu, Gbessay Sawray, Foday Sallu, John Bangali, and Joseph Gikamaji Kamara to a total of 80 years imprisonment each. Foday Alhassan Sesay was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for receiving stolen goods.
The court ordered that the sentences imposed on the principal offenders run consecutively.