By Emma Black
In the quiet hills of Fornima, Goderich, in the western area of Freetown, a once-blocked 14.8-foot access road now stands as a powerful symbol of justice, civic resilience, and systemic reform, the road, illegally obstructed by a commercial complex built by Moses Sendor a junior surveyor at the Ministry of lands, housing and country planning (MLHCP) became the epicenter of a protracted legal battle that exposed deep-rooted corruption, judicial inertia, and the dangers of unchecked online defamation.
In 2025, landmark rulings against Sendor triggered sweeping reforms in Sierra Leone’s land governance, judicial enforcement, and digital accountability reshaping the country’s legal and civic landscape.
The dispute began in 2021 when Sendor was accused of illegally constructing a shop and entertainment center on public land originally designated as an access road, the structure began as a small zinc shack in 2016 but expanded dramatically, despite numerous warnings from police, legal notices, and even court injunctions.
To justify his encroachment, Sendor used a fraudulent survey plan (LS 7639/19) dated September 2, 2019, which unlawfully extended his legal 2017 plot from 0.1079 acres to 0.1386 acres absorbing the access road, Shockingly, senior MLHCP officials validated the fake plan, revealing a network of internal complicity.
An internal investigation in 2020 by MLHCP technical officer Charles Senesie confirmed the illegal encroachment, this was later corroborated in 2022 by assistant director of country planning, engineer Musa Koroma, who wrote, Sendor encroached on the 14.8-foot-wide access road, converting it into his private property, an independent surveyor appointed by the court, James Bangura, further verified in May 2022 that the road had existed since at least 1997 (Survey Plan LS 743/97) and had been completely blocked, with boundary pillars removed and a water well constructed in the center of the path, court proceedings began in 2021 under Justice A.K. Musa but were plagued by delays, including a mysteriously missing arrest warrant from 2020, on February 21, 2024, Justice Adrian Fisher finally issued a landmark ruling: he declared Sendor’s actions unlawful, ordered the demolition of the illegal structures, fined him NLe 70,000 for trespass, and awarded the plaintiffs NLe 50,000 in legal costs, rejecting the legitimacy of the fraudulent plan, Justice Fisher stated, there is no evidence of any consideration paid for the additional piece of land, nor a valid conveyance to confirm the extension.
Despite the judgment, Sendor resisted, on February 7, 2025, his legal team filed for a stay of execution citing financial hardship. Justice Fisher remained firm, financial constraints are not grounds to delay justice.
With Sendor refusing to comply, the plaintiffs led by the Musa family paid NLe 40,000 on August 9, 2024, to MLHCP engineers Lucious Musa Koroma and Joseph Musa to carry out the demolition. However, the process became yet another display of betrayal.
Instead of arriving with a bulldozer and security as agreed, the engineers came with only sledgehammers and no police escort, within 20 minutes, the police halted the demolition allegedly alerted by Engineer Joseph himself.
This was a clear breach of contract, said Mohamed Pa Momo Fofanah, the plaintiffs’ lawyer, they took the money but failed to deliver.
Despite receiving directives from MLHCP Director Tamba Dauda Musa in September 2024 to carry out the demolition, Engineer Koroma refused. When the plaintiffs demanded a refund, their request was deniedprompting formal allegations of obtaining money by false pretenses.
On February 14, 2025, Sendor launched a defamatory campaign online through the Blog to Blog platform, he falsely claimed the case had been mishandled by a magistrate rather than the high court and accused the Musa family of having political ties to President Julius Maada Bio.
These claims were completely baseless, said lawyer Fofanah. The case was always in the High Court first under Justice A.K. Musa, and then under Justice Adrian Fisher, there was no political connection whatsoever, the online disinformation spread rapidly.
The lies spread like wildfire, said Goderich resident Aminata Sesay, it showed just how dangerous unchecked social media can be, in March 2024, the Musa family filed a defamation suit, in September 2024, the high court ruled in their favor, ordering Sendor to pay NLe 100,000 in damages and issue a public apology.
The environmental and legal ramifications of the case spurred national reform, the illegal construction had blocked drainage and increased flood risk, these findings helped shape Sierra Leone’s 2025 Environmental land use Policy, which banned construction on access roads and mandated environmental impact assessments, By 2030, flood-related damages in the Goderich area will dropped by 60%.
To address judicial inefficiency, Chief Justice Komba Kamanda introduced groundbreaking reforms in 2025 two judges were assigned to supervise all demolition of illegal structures; an electronic case management system was launched to reduce backlogs, cutting delays by 70%; and stricter oversight of adoption orders was implemented, with the chief Justice personally approving all files, reforms also targeted the Bailiff department, ensuring that no court order could be executed without judicial supervision, in an exclusive interview, engineer Joseph Musa whose family led the legal fight reflected on the five-year ordeal
For years, we couldn’t park, build a fence, or feel safe. Sendor’s structures blocked everything, that access road it’s what we fought for, justice was delayed, but it wasn’t denied,
He added, Sendor claimed I’m related to the president and said the case was in the magistrate’s court, I’ve never even met President Bio. Those lies were meant to destroy our credibility, grateful for the eventual legal victory, Joseph Musa urged others to speak out, this wasn’t just about my property, It was about challenging a corrupt system, many have faced similar land issues but lacked the resources or courage to pursue justice, I did this not just for my family, but for all victims of land grabbing.
After multiple court orders, failed demolitions, and falsehoods online, the final demolition took place under police supervision on May 22 and 23, 2025, the Musa family is finally at peace, I urge others not to give up, Joseph said, corruption thrives in silence, but with perseverance, the truth will win.
Copyright –Published in Expo Magazine, May-June 2025 Edition Vol.3, No.4, (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
