Painter Sent to Prison for Allegedly Breaking Into Pastor Mambu’s Church Storage

Osman Sesay, a painter, has been sent to prison on remand after appearing before Magistrate John Manso Fornah at Pademba Road Court No. 2.

He, along with businessman Idrissa Conteh, faces serious charges related to a burglary at the Faith Healing Bible Church construction site in Congo Town.

The two men are charged with three counts: conspiracy to commit a felony, store breaking and larceny, and receiving stolen goods. These charges stem from incidents that occurred between August 3 and December 21, 2024.

According to the prosecution, Osman Sesay broke into the church’s storage facility and stole a variety of valuable items, including a set of Yamaha speakers, a single EV speaker, three mixers, generator cables, and other equipment, with a total estimated value of Le231,300. These items were the property of Faith Healing Bible Church.

The second accused, Idrissa Conteh, was specially accused of knowingly receiving one of the stolen speakers, valued at Le900.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Sorie Conteh presented evidence during the proceedings, including testimony from Prosecution Witness No. 4, DPC 13878 Paul Blango, who is part of the Breaking and Larceny Unit at the CID Headquarters. Blango detailed the investigation that began on September 4, 2025, when a report of the burglary was filed.

A team led by Inspector Hassan Dumbuya visited the crime scene and found clear signs of forced entry. Photographs were taken by the Scene of Crime Officer. Following this, statements were gathered from the complainant and other witnesses.

On January 6, 2025, Osman Sesay was brought to CID, where he provided a voluntary caution statement in Krio. The statement was transcribed into English, read back to him, and confirmed with his thumbprint. The statement was marked as Exhibit A1-7 in court. Sesay was formally charged on January 14, 2025, with his charge statement admitted as Exhibit B1-3.

Idrissa Conteh also provided a voluntary caution statement on December 24, 2024, following the same procedures. He was granted bail, and the matter was adjourned for 27th June, 2025.