By Mamajah Jalloh
Freetown – The trial of three men accused of the brutal murder of journalist Samuel Brima Mattia continued on Wednesday, February 26, 2025, at Pademba Road Court No. 1. The accused, Morlia Kamara, a 29-year-old bike rider, and Umaru Timbo, a 35-year-old driver, face charges of conspiracy to murder and murder in connection with the death of the 37-year-old journalist, Joseph Mendel Lamin, also known as Manager Dust.
The charges, brought under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act of 2021, allege that the accused conspired with others to murder Samuel Brima Mattia at the Voice of Peace and Development Radio Station (VOPAD) in Kissi Town, Waterloo, on January 15, 2025.
At the court session, no pleas were taken as the charges were read to the accused. Inspector Kadie M. Taylor led the prosecution with her second witness, Kadiatu Kanu, a businesswoman and the wife of the deceased. Kadiatu identified the first accused as her husband’s best friend and explained that she had only become familiar with the second and third accused during the trial.
Kadiatu recounted that on the day of the murder, her husband had left for work at 6:30 AM to open the radio station. Later, after failing to return by 9 PM, she tried calling him but was unable to reach him. She then contacted the first accused, who initially claimed to be at home but later called back, saying he had gone to the station and heard music playing inside but received no response.
The following morning, Kadiatu went to VOPAD and found the first accused sitting under a mango tree near the station. After consulting with family members and police, Kadiatu was informed that her husband’s body had been found in a nearby bush.
The case has attracted considerable public attention, with Kadiatu expressing devastation upon identifying her husband’s lifeless body. Magistrate Sahr Kekura, after hearing the testimony, refused bail due to the serious nature of the charges and sent the accused to the male correctional facility in Freetown.
The trial is set to continue on March 4, 2025, as the prosecution and defense prepare to present further evidence.
