By: Audrey Raymonda John
A dramatic moment unfolded in court when a 45-second video allegedly containing inciting remarks was played in open court during the ongoing trial of Lansana Dumbuya.
The accused is facing three counts of offences, including incitement contrary to law, insulting language contrary to Section 2 of the Public Order Act No. 46 of 1965, and behaving in an insulting manner contrary to Section 12(a) of the Public Order Act No. 46 of 1965, as amended by the Public Order (Amendment) Act No. 15 of 1973.
According to the particulars of offence, on Saturday, 31 January 2026, at the Brima Attouga Mini Stadium in the Western Area of Freetown, the accused allegedly encouraged his supporters to chant insulting remarks against the President of the Republic of Sierra Leone, His Excellency Dr. Julius Maada Bio.
The prosecution alleges that the accused made statements encouraging supporters to chant words implying that the President had stolen the election.
Count two states that on the same date and at the same location, the accused allegedly used insulting language to the annoyance of Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Francis Momodu Tommy, who serves as the Regional Operations Officer for Freetown East.
Count three further alleges that the accused behaved in an insulting manner in a public place by encouraging supporters to chant derogatory statements against the President.
When the charges were read and explained to Lansana Dumbuya, he pleaded not guilty to all three counts.
The prosecution called its second witness, Detective Sergeant Sahr Foday Lebbie, a digital forensic analyst attached to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Pademba Road, Freetown.
In his testimony, the witness told the court that his primary responsibility at CID is to analyse digital evidence retrieved from electronic devices.
He recalled that on 3 February 2026, while on duty, DPC 18291 I.S. Kamara submitted a request along with a pen drive containing videos related to the case.
According to him, he physically examined the pen drive and confirmed it was in good working condition before sending it to the Technical Operations Coordination Unit (TOCU) for further analysis.
He explained that the FTK Manager forensic tool was used to examine the contents of the pen drive and verify that the files had not been tampered with. The videos were reviewed multiple times, and screenshots were extracted and preserved as evidential material.
The witness further testified that on 4 February 2026, Inspector Kabba Lavalie handed him an old manual mobile phone for examination.
After analysing the device, he confirmed that it was also in good working condition.
He said the code #98# was dialed to determine the phone number, which appeared as 078159434, registered in the name of Lansana Dumbuya. Another code, #06#, was used to retrieve the device’s International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number.
However, the analyst informed the court that nothing of investigative interest was found on the phone. After completing the examination, the device was returned to the accused.
He said he later prepared a forensic report dated 5 February 2026, which was signed by DPC 18291 as recorder.
The report was shown to defence counsel and subsequently tendered in court as Exhibits F1-F5.
The pen drive was admitted as Exhibit G, while screenshots extracted from the video were marked as Exhibit H.
When directed to page two of his report, the witness read a portion of the transcribed video, which allegedly contained statements encouraging supporters to chant critical remarks about the President.
He told the court that the video, dated 1 February 2026, showed the accused addressing supporters and encouraging them to chant against the President of Sierra Leone.
During cross-examination by lead defence counsel S.K. Koroma, the witness admitted that the accused was not present when the video evidence was extracted.
He also confirmed that no members of the crowd seen in the video were arrested, and that the video was not retrieved from the accused’s mobile phone.
The witness further stated that he was not present at the scene when the alleged incident occurred and could not determine who recorded the video.
He also acknowledged that no individual had been arrested for distributing the footage.
The prosecution also called Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Francis Momodu Tommy, attached to Ross Road Police Station and serving as Regional Operations Officer for Freetown East.
He told the court that on 31 January 2026, he was instructed by AIG Brima Kanneh to deploy 156 police officers to provide security at Attouga Mini Stadium during a Mamtoh meeting organised by the APC Party.
According to the officer, he saw the accused standing on stage with a microphone, encouraging supporters to repeat statements alleging that the President had stolen the election.
He told the court that he felt offended by the remarks, as they were directed at the President, whom he described as the Head of State and the first gentleman of the country.
Despite the remarks, he said he allowed the meeting to continue peacefully without disruption.
He later prepared a summary report which he submitted to the Regional Commander, copying the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The report was tendered in court as Exhibit A.
Under cross-examination, the officer confirmed that no public disorder occurred during the meeting, and no arrests were made on the day of the event.
He also acknowledged that the statements were not directed at him personally and admitted that he did not arrest the accused at the time.
The officer further confirmed that he did not personally inform the President, but instead reported the matter through official police channels, including the Inspector General of Police.
At the close of the prosecution’s case, defence counsel applied for a short adjournment to file a no-case submission.
After hearing both sides, the magistrate granted the application and adjourned the matter to 19 March 2026.
The accused remains on bail as the case continues.