By: Audrey Raymonda John
Ibrahim Massaquoi, a 31-year-old office assistant, made his first appearance before Magistrate Patrick Fofanah at Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown on charges of office breaking and larceny, contrary to Section 26(1) of the Larceny Act of 1916, and arson, contrary to Section 3 of the Malicious Damage Act of 1861.
According to the charge sheet, on Tuesday, 29 April 2025, at 1 Railway Line, Brookfields, in the Western Area of Freetown, the accused allegedly broke into the server room of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Agency (NMEA) with the intent to steal. He is accused of stealing twenty-one black Samsung Galaxy tablets (56 Lite models), each valued at 12,000 Leones, amounting to a total of 264,000 Leones. The items were said to be in the custody of Eshaka Massaquoi.
The second count alleges that on the same date and at the same location, the accused maliciously set fire to the NMEA server room, intending to destroy government property.
When the charges were read and explained in court, no plea was taken from the accused. Inspector Kadie M. Taylor, prosecuting, requested a short adjournment, stating that her key witness was absent.
Given the seriousness of the allegations, Magistrate Fofanah refused bail and adjourned the matter to 4 June 2025 for further proceedings.