By: Audrey Raymonda John
Adama Josephine Keifala Samba, a 34-year-old Revenue Officer, appeared before Magistrate Augustine Brima Samura of Pademba Road Court No. 8 on October 10, 2025, to face charges related to domestic violence. The charges include physical, emotional, and psychological abuse, as well as economic abuse against her husband, Buawah Jobo Musa Samba. The case is spread across four separate files: C/S 2336/2025, C/S 2337/2025, C/S 2366/2025, and C/S 2365/2025.
The charges stem from alleged incidents of domestic violence occurring between January 1 and June 21, 2025, at No. 8 Madongo Town, off Congo Cross, in the Western Area of Freetown. According to the particulars of the offense:
Count one alleges that between January 1 and June 21, 2025, the defendant physically abused her husband, Buawah Jobo Musa Samba.
Count two further alleges emotional abuse by the defendant against her husband during the same period.
Count three includes psychological abuse by the defendant against her husband during the same period.
When the case was called, Assistant Commissioner of Police Joan M. S. Bull, Esq., who is leading the prosecution, applied to have the charges in files C/S 2336/2025 and C/S 2337/2025 discharged. She also requested that the charges in C/S 2366/2025 and C/S 2365/2025 be joined, as they form part of a series of similar offenses. The application was made pursuant to Section 50(c) and 2 of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 8 of 2024. The defense counsel did not object to the application, and Magistrate Samura granted the request to join the two charges.
When the charges were read and explained to the defendant, she pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The first prosecution witness, Buawah Jobo Musa Samba, a civil servant, recalled his experiences with the defendant between January and June 2025. He explained that upon returning to Sierra Leone from the United States, the defendant proposed three options to him. The first was for him to fund her studies at a U.S. university, which he rejected due to financial constraints. The second proposal was for her to marry a U.S. citizen, and he would pay for her expenses to acquire U.S. citizenship. However, this option fell through as the potential suitor was too old. The third proposal was for him to find someone to adopt their children, allowing the defendant to quickly complete a nursing course in the U.S.
The witness explained that he agreed to the third proposal, but when he introduced his friend, a potential adopter from Germany, the defendant became suspicious after finding pictures of his friend on his phone. She eventually rejected the adoption plan. The situation escalated when the defendant, along with her younger sister, confronted the witness. During the confrontation, the defendant physically attacked him, and her younger sister used a shoe to hit him. The mother intervened, and in the process, the defendant accidentally struck her own mother.
The witness recounted that he was ashamed and left the house, but later, the defendant’s mother, younger sister, and a soldier and police officer arrived at his home and accused him of molesting their mother. The witness stated that the defendant and her sister continued to verbally abuse him, and he was forced to record the incident. He also noted that the defendant splashed water on him, and he was pursued by the defendant and her sister.
Defense counsel M. S. Bah, Esq., applied for bail on behalf of the defendant, arguing that she is not a flight risk and will not interfere with prosecution witnesses. He also presented reliable sureties willing to stand in her behalf. Magistrate Samura granted bail to the defendant in the sum of twenty thousand Leones, with one surety in a like sum. The surety must be an ordinary resident of Freetown and produce a valid identity card showing their address in Freetown. The bail is to be approved by the Deputy Assistant Registrar.
The matter was adjourned to October 20, 2025.