A nationwide manhunt is currently underway in Kenema after a local businessman was declared wanted by the Sierra Leone Police for engaging in illegal same-sex activity. The suspect, 28-year-old John Kamanda, along with his unidentified partner, managed to evade law enforcement and went into hiding following a tense community confrontation at his residence located on Abdulai Lane within the Kpetewoma Section.
The investigation officially commenced after Kamanda’s stepfather, Ansu Kanneh, brought the matter forward to the Criminal Investigations Department at the Kenema Police Station. According to the police report, Kanneh had grown suspicious after hearing persistent rumors from community members regarding his stepson’s involvement with the LGBTI community. To verify these claims, Kanneh admitted to secretly placing a mobile phone camera inside Kamanda’s room on Monday, March 9, 2021, which coincided with the suspect’s birthday. Upon retrieving the device after a birthday gathering, Kanneh discovered video evidence depicting Kamanda and his partner engaging in consensual same-sex acts.
The situation escalated rapidly when Kanneh confronted the two men with the video footage and raised a public alarm. A hostile crowd of local youths quickly gathered around the residence, and Kanneh instructed them to restrain Kamanda while he went to the police station to lodge an official complaint. However, subsequent intelligence gathered by authorities revealed that Kamanda successfully negotiated his release from the angry mob by offering his mobile phone as a bribe. He then fled the area to an unknown location to secure his personal safety.
By the time a police division led by Assistant Superintendent A. B. Kamara arrived to raid the property, both suspects had already disappeared. The lead investigator, Senior Inspector Amos Conteh, has officially declared both individuals wanted by the state, noting that same-sex activity remains strictly illegal under Section 61 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, which carries a maximum penalty of up to life imprisonment. Authorities are treating the case with high priority and have announced that a handsome financial reward will be offered to any member of the public who provides verified information leading to the location and arrest of the fugitives.
