Freetown, Sierra Leone – A High Court judge has handed down stiff sentences to five men convicted in the robbery and murder of Reverend Father Augustine Dauda Amadu, describing the killing of the clergyman as a “brutal and senseless” act.
Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens of the High Court in Freetown on Wednesday sentenced Martin Sallu, Gbessay Sawray, Foday Sallu, John Bangali, and Joseph Gikamaji Kamara to a combined total of 80 years imprisonment each. A sixth man, Foday Alhassan Sesay, received 14 years for receiving stolen property.
The convicts were found guilty of multiple serious offences, including conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, aggravated robbery, conspiracy to murder, and murder. The crimes occurred in the Southern Province, with the fatal attack taking place at a parish church in Kenema.
According to the prosecution, the five principal convicts, armed with a gun, targeted the reverend father between August 1 and 29, 2025. They allegedly robbed him of a Lenovo laptop valued at US$350 and Le5,000 in cash before murdering him. The victim was discovered in a pool of blood in a toilet, with autopsy findings revealing a broken neck and a fractured right hand.
Justice Stevens noted that strong evidence, particularly confessional statements given to police, formed the backbone of the prosecution’s case. Several of the accused admitted their roles in the planning and execution of the crime. Gbessay Sawray and Joseph Gikamaji Kamara reportedly confessed to participating in the killing, while Foday Sallu admitted knowing about the planned attack but failing to alert authorities.
“The life of the Reverend Father could have been saved if Foday Sallu had told the authorities,” the judge remarked.
Some defendants, including Martin Sallu, Foday Sallu, and John Bangali, later claimed in court that their police statements were obtained under duress.
Justice Stevens rejected these claims, describing their courtroom testimonies as self-serving and noting that the statements contained detailed accounts of how the offence was planned and carried out. John Bangali had allegedly admitted in his statement that he left home pretending to go hunting before joining the others in the attack.
Foday Alhassan Sesay was convicted of knowingly purchasing the stolen Lenovo laptop belonging to Paul Allan Max Jones.
The judge highlighted the particularly aggravating circumstances of the case, pointing out that the convicts had gained nothing by taking the life of a man of God. He also revealed that Gbessay Sawray was already serving a life sentence for a previous offence at the time of the crime, having escaped from prison.
All six men initially pleaded not guilty. During allocutus (plea for mercy), most begged for leniency, though Gbessay Sawray maintained the offence was not his doing.
State counsel Patrick Lumumba Williams informed the court that the minimum sentence for the offences was 14 years, while defence counsel Karim Kargbo of the Sierra Leone Legal Aid Board urged the judge to temper justice with mercy.
Justice Stevens ordered the sentences for the five main convicts to run consecutively, underscoring the gravity of the crimes. The court found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The sentencing brings to a close a case that has drawn attention across Sierra Leone for its shocking nature and the vulnerability it exposed regarding attacks on religious figures.
