Soldier Charged With Murder
By: Alimatu Kargbo
A 44-year-old Sierra Leone Army corporal, Joseph Lamin Steven, has been arrested and charged with murder following a fatal shooting incident at the Presidential Lodge, Freetown International Airport, Lungi, in November 2025.
According to police sources and eyewitness accounts, the incident occurred on Wednesday, 26 November 2025, during a commotion at the airport when money was allegedly being distributed as the President passed through Lungi. Witnesses claimed that Steven, who was reportedly in possession of the money, refused to hand it over to a colleague. An argument ensued, during which Moses Brima Kabba was shot and later died.
Joseph Lamin Steven was arrested on 2 January 2026 at 14:36 hours and formally charged to court the same day for murder, contrary to Section 1 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, as repealed and replaced by Section 1(a) of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act 2021 (Act No. 6 of 2022).
The particulars of offence state that Steven murdered Moses Brima Kabba at the Presidential Lodge, Lungi, within the Port Loko Judicial District, Northern Province of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
The case is currently before Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah at the Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown. The court has not yet taken substantive action on the matter, as it is awaiting the next adjournment date.
Steven, who resides at Tower Hill, Freetown, is a serving soldier of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF), holding the rank of Corporal. Police disclosed that the following items were recovered as exhibits:
One AK-47 rifle with serial number SL/RSLAF-23/BA62 7295; one fired 7.62×39mm cartridge case; three magazines containing 30 live 7.62×39mm cartridges; one magazine containing 29 live cartridges, and nineteen additional live 7.62×39mm cartridges.
The complainant in the matter is Sierra Leone’s Inspector General of Police. Proceedings are expected to continue on the 13th January 2026.
