By Emmanuel Mbowa
Freetown, 13th October, 2026 – A York Magistrate Court has convicted a man for illegally entering a protected area and engaging in deforestation for charcoal production in the Western Area National Park.
His Worship Magistrate Solomon Christian Kekurah found Mohamed Charlie, a resident of Baw Baw, guilty on two counts of illegal entry and illegal deforestation at Mambo, offences contrary to Section 7 of the Wildlife Conservation Act of 1972.
According to the National Protected Area Authority (NPAA), Charlie was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment or a fine of Le30,000.
NPAA Head of Law Enforcement and Compliance, Dauda Laigay Bangura, said the convict was arrested on September 12 during a joint patrol operation involving officials of the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change and the NPAA.
Bangura said the arrest followed intelligence reports linking Charlie to extensive charcoal production activities that had caused significant environmental degradation in the Mambo section of the park.
He commended the Environmental and Wildlife Crime Unit of the Lumley Police Division and the judiciary for the swift handling of the case, noting that the matter was concluded after only two court appearances.
Bangura described the sentence as one of the most significant penalties secured by the authority in recent years and said it sends a strong message to individuals engaging in illegal activities within protected areas.
He disclosed that the NPAA has intensified enforcement operations across the Western Area Peninsula National Park, leading to the prosecution and conviction of several individuals involved in illegal charcoal production and other environmental crimes.
According to him, a recent operation conducted with support from the Conservation Trust Fund resulted in the confiscation of more than 470 bags of charcoal and the conviction of 24 suspects.
Bangura further revealed that the authority has secured 67 convictions in environmental cases, including 51 within the Western Area Peninsula National Park, while three matters remain before the courts and four others are under investigation.
He also raised concerns about increasing attacks on NPAA personnel, citing a recent incident at Aberdeen Creek in which a game guard was seriously injured after allegedly being attacked with a machete. Police have arrested a suspect and investigations are ongoing.
Despite the challenges, Bangura said the authority would continue patrols, surveillance and prosecutions to combat encroachment and environmental crimes in protected areas across the country.
