A Catholic priest in eastern Sierra Leone narrowly escaped death after a violent attack by a known armed robber at his residence in Pendembu, Kailahun District, police have confirmed.

The incident reportedly occurred at about 12:13 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, when police in Pendembu, Upper Bambara Chiefdom, received a distress call from the victim, Rev. Fr. James Joshua Jamiru. According to police, the priest reported that he had been attacked and assaulted by an intruder at Saint Mary’s Parish Mission House, where he lives.

Police said Rev. Fr. Jamiru sustained injuries to his right thumb, two index fingers, his head and both knees during the attack. At the time of the incident, he was alone in the house, as his housekeeper had left for school and had locked the main entrance.

 

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Investigations revealed that the intruder already knew how to manipulate the main gate to gain access into the compound. The noise from the gate reportedly alerted the priest, who asked who was at the door while he was in the bathroom.

According to D/Sergeant 11175 Jajua, the investigating officer who obtained the priest’s statement, Rev. Fr. Jamiru said he noticed shadows through a closed window before coming face to face with the assailant. The attacker was later identified as Ansu Bockarie, also known as “5/0,” who was armed with a shovel taken from the compound.

Police said the priest, fearing for his life, ran to retrieve a cutlass he had kept in the house for self-defence. A struggle followed between the two men. In the course of the confrontation, Rev. Fr. Jamiru managed to overpower the attacker, inflicting a cut on his forehead. The suspect then fled the scene before police arrived in response to the distress call.

Ansu Bockarie was later identified and arrested, police said, based on the injury on his forehead. Court records, according to police, show that he has a previous criminal conviction for robbery.

During interrogation, the suspect named three other individuals – Amodu Kieta, Alhaji Bockarie and Victor Jusu Goba – as alleged conspirators. However, police said no evidence was found linking them to the attack, and they were subsequently released.

The Regional Crime Officer, Mustapha Fieka, told reporters that Ansu Bockarie, also known as “5/0,” is expected to be charged to court in the coming days.

The attack has renewed concerns about the safety of Catholic priests in the eastern region. It comes months after the murder of Rev. Fr. Francis Dauda Amadu, who was killed in cold blood in Kenema in late September last year.

In response to those concerns, police authorities said armed security personnel were deployed to provide protection for priests at the night of the attack until morning as a measure to curb security threats.

The incident was first reported by James Jamil Fatorma in Kenema.