A disputed parcel of land along the Bathurst Gloucester Road has been placed under interim injunction by the Land, Property and Environment Division of the High Court of Sierra Leone, effectively halting all forms of development and interference pending the outcome of a substantive legal dispute.
The injunction follows an application filed by community stakeholders seeking urgent judicial intervention to protect the contested property. The court ordered that the status quo be maintained until the matter is fully heard and determined.
The dispute gained renewed public attention after the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning announced that its investigations into competing ownership claims suggested that a significant portion of the land falls under government ownership. The findings were disclosed during a press conference held on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Ministry’s conference facility at Youyi Building in Freetown.
Court documents indicate that the legal action was instituted by Hon. Hawa Rosaline Siafa alongside representatives of Development Initiative Programme Casada Farm and Action Community Transformation and Sponsorship. The applicants assert lawful ownership based on a conveyance supported by survey plan reference L.S. 619/10 dated March 26, 2010.
In granting the interim relief, presiding judge Justice Mark Ngegba restrained the defendants including officials of the Ministry and the Director of Surveys and Lands from entering, occupying, or carrying out any activities capable of altering the legal or physical status of the land.
Legal counsel for the applicants argued that continued interference by state authorities posed a significant risk to established property rights and community-driven development initiatives linked to the site. They maintained that failure to secure judicial protection could result in irreparable harm before the court determines the substantive claims.
The case highlights the growing prevalence of land disputes within Freetown’s expanding urban corridors, where overlapping claims, documentation challenges, and administrative interventions have increasingly resulted in litigation. Observers in legal and civic circles suggest that the eventual outcome may influence future jurisprudence on land governance, institutional authority, and the protection of community-based development interests in Sierra Leone.
While the injunction provides temporary relief to the applicants, the defendants are expected to present their defence as proceedings continue. The matter remains before the High Court for substantive hearing and final determination.