By Emma Black
Freetown’s High Court
A simmering chieftaincy feud landed in the Freetown High Court on Thursday, as plaintiff Michael Magai squared off against Paramount Chief Jibao Russell of Lower Banta Chiefdom, Moyamba District. Before Justice Alhaji Momoh Jah Stevens, Magai demanded an injunction to strip Russell of his powers, accusing him of embezzling funds meant to uplift their Gbangbatoke community.
Magai, carrying the torch for the late Nancy R. Johnny, claims Russell siphoned off development cash entrusted to him money now vanished without a trace. Filed under the 2009 Chieftaincy Act by lawyer B.J. Reffle, the petition targets five heavyweights the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Southern Province’s Provincial Secretary, the National Electoral Commission, the Attorney General, and Russell himself.
Magai’s plea is blunt: bar Russell from acting as chief temporarily, then permanently until the court settles the score. His affidavit, dated December 19, 2024, packs a punch with exhibits tracing a 15-year saga: a 2010 petition challenging Russell’s legitimacy, a 2011 court ruling tossed for unfairness, and more. Reffle leaned on a December 2024 Appeals Court order for a fresh hearing, citing an Anti-Corruption Commission probe that allegedly caught Russell misusing funds.
This isn’t just mismanagement it’s betrayal, Reffle argued, pressing for a halt to Russell’s reign to protect the chiefdom’s future.
Edward Sarkoh, defending Russell and the four institutional respondents, fired back with a January 6, 2025, affidavit. He warned an injunction would spark chaos in Lower Banta, Russell’s led since 2010 yanking him now risks the chiefdom’s peace, Sarkoh said. He stressed the Appeals Court’s call for a new hearing didn’t greenlight any freeze, urging the court to let Russell stay put for stability’s sake.
The clash corruption versus continuity left the courtroom tense. Justice Stevens set May 9, 2025, for the next round, leaving Moyamba’s future dangling. For now, Russell holds his title, but Magai’s fight signals a community fed up with shadows over its trust.