Man Released from Pademba Road After 12 Years in Prison Without Trial

Abu Kamara has finally walked free from Pademba Road Prison after spending twelve years behind bars without ever appearing before a judge.

Kamara’s ordeal began in 2014 in Makeni, where he was working in the timber logging industry. According to Kamara, the nightmare started not with a crime, but with a betrayal of trust.

He had entrusted his life savings of twenty-five thousand Leones, along with several personal items, to a police officer identified as Mohamed Bangura, who had promised to assist him in depositing the funds into a bank.

The situation took a dark turn when Officer Bangura later informed Kamara that the money had gone missing. When Kamara persisted in demanding the return of his savings, the officer allegedly framed up Kamara claims that Bangura instructed fellow officers to arrest him, leveling a fabricated accusation of murder.

During his initial detention, Kamara’s vocal protests and displays of anger were used against him; he alleges the officer branded him a “madman” to further discredit his pleas for justice. Shortly thereafter, he was transferred to the central prison in Freetown, where he vanished into the shadows of the legal system.

For the next 12 years, Kamara remained in custody at Pademba Road Prison.

His liberation was eventually made possible through the intervention of Mr. Sheku Kamara and Hope Behind Bars Sierra Leone, an organization dedicated to providing legal aid and support to inmates who have been unlawfully detained.

The release has drawn a response from high-ranking officials. Joseph Senessie, the Director General of the Sierra Leone Correctional Service, expressed his appreciation for the intervention by Hope Behind Bars. He acknowledged the gravity of the situation and stated that the Correctional Service is committed to working alongside the organization to identify and rectify similar cases of prolonged detention without trial.

Finally, Abu Kamara’s story has sparked renewed calls for urgent reforms within the Sierra Leonean police force and the judiciary to ensure that no other citizen suffers a similar fate.