The body had reportedly been lying by the roadside for four days, with the smell affecting the surrounding community.
Youths have barricaded part of Shell New Road in Freetown in protest over a body that had reportedly remained by the roadside for four days and begun to decompose.
Residents said the foul smell was affecting the surrounding community, raising concerns about sanitation and public health.
The identity of the deceased, the circumstances surrounding the death and when the authorities were notified have not been independently established.
Although the smell from a decomposing body does not automatically mean that people nearby face an infectious disease risk, the unknown circumstances of the death make prompt and safe handling of the remains important.
The incident has renewed questions about the responsibilities of public authorities when bodies are discovered in public spaces.
In 2025, Freetown City Council (FCC) and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs disagreed over responsibility for removing bodies found on the streets.
Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr said the council had collected 220 bodies between 7 January and 8 October that year. She said 50 had been claimed by relatives, while 170 were buried by the council.
The figures were released amid wider concerns about kush, a drug linked to a serious public health crisis in Sierra Leone. However, they do not establish that all the deaths were caused by kush, and there is no independently verified evidence linking the death at Shell New Road to the drug.
The council argued that the Local Government Act 2022 did not explicitly assign it responsibility for collecting bodies found in public spaces. It suspended the service in October 2025 while seeking clarification.
The government subsequently introduced an arrangement under which the Sierra Leone Police would take primary responsibility for responding to bodies found in public places, with the council providing burial space under the protocol.
It remains unclear whether the authorities were notified promptly about the Shell New Road incident or why the body had reportedly remained at the roadside for several days.
The police, the ministry and the council have been asked to clarify their roles and the circumstances surrounding the reported delay.
The cause of death and the identity of the deceased remain unconfirmed.
