By Aminata Abu Bakarr Kamara
The Sierra Leone Police on Friday the 31st of July 2026 ordered members of the Sierra Leone Bar Association (SLBA) to vacate the Bintumani International Conference Centre in Freetown, resulting in the abrupt postponement of the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).
The meeting, which had drawn lawyers and delegates from across the country, was expected to address key governance issues and make important leadership decisions affecting the legal profession.
Police officers were deployed at the conference venue shortly after participants began arriving, preventing the meeting from proceeding as scheduled. Members of the Bar Association were instructed to leave the premises, while journalists covering the event were also asked to remain outside the conference hall.
Speaking to lawyers and members of the media outside the venue, Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Sylvester Koroma announced that the meeting had been postponed.
“For some reasons or some circumstances beyond our control, we regret to announce to you that this conference, or AGM, is postponed,” AIG Koroma said.
When questioned by journalists about the specific reasons for the police intervention, AIG Koroma declined to provide further details, stating only that the decision had been taken on security grounds and that the gathering could not continue as planned.
The unexpected disruption sparked concern among legal practitioners, many of whom had travelled from different parts of the country to participate in the Association’s highest decision-making meeting. The AGM is regarded as an important platform for members to deliberate on professional matters, review the Association’s activities, and make decisions on its leadership and future direction.
At the time of publication, the Sierra Leone Bar Association had not issued an official statement indicating when the postponed AGM would be reconvened or outlining the next steps following the police action.
The incident has generated widespread public interest and is expected to fuel discussions about the relationship between state institutions and professional bodies, as stakeholders await further clarification on the circumstances that led to the postponement.
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Copyright –Published in Expo Times News on Monday, 3rd August 2026 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
