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A 33-year-old student, Mohamed Kabia, has been remanded at the Male Correctional Facility in Freetown after making another appearance at Pademba Road Court No. 2 on a cyberbullying charge.
Kabia appeared before Magistrate John Manso Fornah on allegations that he used WhatsApp to post messages that allegedly defamed and bullied Robert Saila Kamara, the Manager of Leone Rock Metal Group. He is charged under Section 44(1)(b) of the Cyber Security and Crime Act of 2021.
According to Covenant Newspaper, and based on the charge sheet, the incident took place on 13th January 2025 in Freetown. Kabia allegedly used the WhatsApp number +23277862052, with the username “MAGBOKЕН BORBOR,” to post messages accusing Kamara of being involved in criminal activities and claiming he had been suspended from office. The messages were said to be aimed at causing psychological harm.
The prosecution’s first witness, Robert Saila Kamara, took the stand and told the court he knew the accused personally, as they had once lived in the same house. At the time of the alleged post, Kamara was serving as SLPP District Secretary in Tonkolili.
He said he first heard about the post from SLPP members Mariama Jalloh and Mohamed C. Conteh, also known as Tinka Lansana, who told him a message was circulating about him in a WhatsApp group. Although Kamara was not part of the forum at the time, he said he asked for screenshots, which were later sent to him.
Kamara said the post falsely claimed he had been suspended for criminal reasons and included his photo. He added that similar claims had been made by a friend of the accused in the past, but he had decided not to take action then.
The printed screenshots were submitted in court and marked as “Exhibit Z.” Kamara told the court that the message had been shared across several WhatsApp groups, including “Constituency New Direction,” “Vision State House,” and “Radical Inclusion.”
According to Covenant Newspaper, he said the circulation of the message led to him actually being suspended from his job. He reported the matter to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Pademba Road, where an investigation was launched and Kabia was arrested and questioned.
When the charge was read in court, no plea was taken. Magistrate Fornah denied bail due to the seriousness of the allegation and ordered that Kabia be held in custody.
The case has been adjourned to 17th June 2025 for further hearing.
