By Emma Black

Mohamed Kamara, a security guard, faced Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Pademba Road Court No. 1 on Tuesday, charged with office breaking and larceny under Section 26(1) of the Larceny Act 1916. The irony isn’t lost: a man tasked with safeguarding property now stands accused of pilfering it.

Court records allege that on January 25, 2025, Kamara broke into the Stores and Inventories Unit at the Ministry of Energy’s Electricity Building on Siaka Stevens Street in Freetown’s Western Area. His haul? Two HP laptopsone pink, one grey valued at 7,000 Leones, property of Junisa Baba Fofonah.

When the charges rang out in the courtroom, Kamara offered no plea. Prosecutor Inspector Kadie M. Taylor requested a brief adjournment to huddle with her witness, a delay the magistrate allowed. But the real twist came from defense counsel M.K. Donda Esq., who renewed an earlier bail plea with quiet confidence.

Magistrate Kekura weighed the arguments and granted Kamara bail at 100,000 Leones or one surety matching that sum. Conditions were strict: the surety must live in Freetown and present a valid ID with a verifiable address, subject to approval by the Deputy Assistant Registrar. Kamara walked free for now with the case adjourned to April 10, 2025. From protector to suspect, Kamara’s tale spins a stark reversal, as the ministry reels from the breach, questions swirl was this a lapse in duty or a calculated grab? The courtroom will decide, but for today, the guard breathes easier outside the bars he once watched.