Freetown, 25th October 2025 — The High Court of Sierra Leone has officially declared Court of Appeal Judge, Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, as the biological father of a child born to 21-year-old law student, Edwina Hawa Jamiru.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Augustine K. Musa on October 21, 2025, came after two independent DNA tests confirmed paternity with over 99.99 percent accuracy.
The judgment, issued in Miscellaneous Matter No. 233/25 at the Family and Probate Division, concluded months of closely followed legal proceedings that drew significant public interest. Relying on Section 83 of the Child Rights Act, 2007, the court held that Justice Stevens bears full parental responsibility for the child’s maintenance and custody arrangements.
Court records show that Stevens had petitioned the court on May 2, 2025, seeking paternity confirmation amid claims that Jamiru had a relationship with another man during her pregnancy.
Jamiru, who gave birth on April 10, 2025, initially refused DNA testing, insisting she would raise the child independently.
However, following a court directive, DNA samples were collected on October 9, 2025, at Ramsy Medical Laboratory and EcoMeD Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory in Freetown, under the observation of officials from the Ministry of Gender and Children’s Affairs, the Human Rights Commission, and the Institute for Legal Research and Advocacy for Justice (ILRAJ). The samples were sealed and forwarded to partner laboratories in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Both laboratories returned identical findings—confirming Stevens’ paternity with 99.9999% and 99.999% probability.
Justice Musa described the results as “scientifically certain,” citing the consistency across two international testing facilities.
The court subsequently ordered:
1. A declaration confirming Stevens as the biological father.
2. Payment of monthly child maintenance of Le10,000 beginning December 1, 2025.
3. Shared custody between both parents.
4. Responsibility for the child’s upkeep until age 21.
5. Liberty for either party to seek future modification.
6. Assessment of legal costs at a later date.
The case gained national attention given Stevens’ senior judicial status. Earlier, on September 29, 2025, Chief Justice Komba Kamanda had placed him on administrative leave to protect the integrity of the judiciary while the matter was before the court.
