OSD Officer Charged with Murder: AK47 Rifle Key Evidence in Court

An officer from the Operations Support Division (OSD), Santigie Kamara, has been officially charged with murder. An AK47 rifle has been submitted as primary evidence in court concerning the alleged murder of his brother, Francis Amara Kanneh.

The defendant is charged with a single count of murder, contravening Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, as amended by Section 1(a) of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021 (Act No. 6 of 2022).

The incident reportedly occurred on January 19, 2025, at 555 Lorry Park, Waterloo, in the western rural area of Freetown.

Upon the formal reading and clarification of the charge, Mr. Kamara refrained from entering a plea.

Testimony was given by Sergeant 8576 Issa Kamara, who is stationed at the Grafton Police Barracks and serves in the exhibit office of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters on Pademba Road.

Sergeant Kamara affirmed his familiarity with the accused and described his responsibilities regarding the management and safeguarding of evidence pertinent to investigations.

On February 4, 2025, while performing his duties, Sergeant Kamara received several items from Inspector Foday B. of the CID's homicide unit. These items included two bloodstained rubber chairs, an older model AK47 rifle, two spent bullet casings, an outdated magazine, four live rounds of ammunition, and one spent bullet.

These items were properly documented in the official court exhibit registry under the serial number RCE 014/2025 and have been retained in police custody since that time. The aforementioned exhibits were submitted to the court as part of the formal record.

Following the legal proceedings, Magistrate Kekura denied bail to the defendant and ordered his remand to the male correctional facility in Freetown.

The case has been postponed until March 27, 2025.