Sheik Umar Karankay Conteh was sent back to prison at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba Road on Monday 10th August 2020 for allegedly insulting Lunsar Paramount Chief (PC), Koblo Queen II. Police alleged that on Sunday 8th March 2020 at No. 1 Magazine Cut, Grass Field in Freetown, Conteh, son of an accused person on trial for alleged conspiracy to commit a murder and other related offences, remarked: “Na buff case, total buff case, this system is under our control” on Facebook against the PC to pervert the course of justice.
Police further alleged the accused on 30th March 2020 and on diverse days between that day and 25th June used threatening languages against the PC on Facebook, among others. The accused was charged with perverting the course of justice contrary to law, public insult and provocation contrary to Section 2 of the Public Order Act No. 32 of 1965, threatening remarks contrary to Section 3(1) of the Public Order Act No. 46 of 1965, abusive language contrary to Section 3(1) of the Public Order Act No. 46 of 1965, among others.
PC Koblo Queen II recalled having a meeting with religious group members on 10th June 2020 about the case presently in court. “They came to my house and condemned the alleged attack by the Lunsar people at my residence, and also begged me to make peace with my subjects. As I was preparing to return to Lunsar, my wife’s younger brother, Mohamed Saidu Kanu, drew my attention to a social media post from the accused that rained insult on me and even threatened me,” he said.
The PC printed the alleged social media text messages and presented them to the court for identification.
Second prosecution witness Mohamed Saidu Kanu said on 9th June a cross section of Muslims and Christians visited PC Koblo Queen at his No. 30 Ecowas Street residence in Freetown to appeal on behalf of the Lunsar people for the dispute between him and his subjects before the court. “During the meeting I took some snapshots and wrote a synopsis of the meeting and posted it on several Facebook groups, one of them being the Lunsar Facebook page…Before long, I saw some comments from the accused (Sheik Umar Conteh). Some of the comments were ‘the case is a total buff case, the system is under our control, and the PC will never return to Lunsar, Honourable Osman Karankay Conteh is ten times better than PC Koblo Queen’ among others,” the witness said.
He said he felt pity and disappointment for receiving such a message he referred to as the type that had caused the alleged attack on the PC’s residence. Kanu said he screen shot the messages and conveyed them to his sister, the PC’s wife. The text messages were printed and presented to the court for identification. Kanu said he later made a statement at the CID headquarter in Freetown.
During cross-examination, Kanu confirmed the accused had sent the defamatory post, because he saw his name and face on the said Facebook page. Defence counsel Mohamed G. Yoki, however, said the name the prosecution witness gave to the court is different from the one on his Facebook account, adding there is no Sheik Umar Conteh on Facebook. Asked by Lawyer Yoki if he knew how to search for names on Facebook, the accused said he doesn’t. Yoki argued that the said Facebook account was not created by the accused and that anybody can create a Facebook account using another person’s name.
The lawyer said the message cannot be found on the Lunsar Facebook page, and that the witness might have created the said account to implicate the accused. Police Exhibit Clerk, Detective Sergeant Abu Conteh attached to the exhibit office at the CID said while on duty on 24th July 2020, Detective Inspector Vandi, attached to the Crime Prevention Department “handed over to me one Tecno Spark mobile phone with Africell and Qcell sim cards”.
“I took possession of the phone and registered it in the exhibit book as against serial number 99/2020, and since then the said phone has been in police custody,” the clerk said. The said mobile phone was tendered in court as evidence. Defence counsel applied for bail canvassing it on Section 79(2) of the Criminal Procedure Act No. 32 of 1965, adding his client is a private West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) candidate.
Magistrate Bonnie refused bail and adjourned the matter to 14th August 2020. SKS/11/08/2020
By Sulaiman Karim Sesay