By Saio Marrah
The water taxi service operating from the west of Freetown is due to face one of its passengers in the High Court in Freetown.
Zainabu Alberta Gittens sued Seacoach Express on six claims, ranging from damage for breach of contract, special damage in the sum of NLe 56,300 for loss of luggage and contents, and damages for negligence and emotional distress.
On May 31, 2024, Ms. Gittens travelled on the defendant’s water taxi and bus service to Lungi Airport on her way to London. She filed the case on Friday, January 9, 2026, alleging that she boarded the boat with her hand luggage, which was carried on board by one of the defendant’s employees. Documents seen by Politico state that, “on arrival at the defendant’s dock in Lungi, the plaintiff boarded the defendant’s bus and her hand luggage was handed over to the driver of the defendant’s bus, who took possession of the hand luggage. The bus then drove the plaintiff and other passengers to the airport.” It continues: “on arrival at the airport, the plaintiff disembarked from the defendant’s bus and waited to receive her hand luggage, but did not receive it.”
According to Ms. Gittens, she reported the matter to the defendant’s manager and the airport police, and the manager promised to review the CCTV footage and communicate back to her, but six weeks later, there has been no communication from the defendant.
Politico understands that it was at this point that she instructed her lawyer to write to the defendant on July 11, 2024, demanding payment of the total value of lost items and damages for negligence, emotional damage, and the lawyer’s service cost. Lawyers for Seacoach Express wrote back and denied liability for the loss of the hand luggage.
The particulars of the claims further read that the defendant was negligent in its handling of the plaintiff’s hand luggage, which was under its control, and did not live up to its contractual obligation of carriage owed to the plaintiff.
The particulars of the negligence include exposing the plaintiff’s hand luggage to loss, misplacement, theft, or mis-delivery through inadequate supervision of staff; failure to deliver the plaintiff’s hand luggage to the plaintiff on disembarkation at the airport; and failure to provide feedback after the loss of the hand luggage.
The particulars of the special damage included that the plaintiff was emotionally distressed during her flight to London and thereafter, and that she has not been able to recover from the loss of the hand luggage and the treatment meted out to her by the defendant; and that as a result of the defendant’s conduct, the plaintiff has stopped using water taxis, resorting to either driving to the airport or using the normal ferry.
The High Court has ordered the defendant to either appear in person or through his lawyers in respect of the case within 14 days, or judgment would be entered in the absence of the establishment.
