Regional police officers attached to the Northwest have on Friday 21st August 2020 testified against 13 accused persons for allegedly rioting and vandalising Makeni Town, including the party office of the ruling Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP). The testimony came after Magistrate Mark Ngegba overruled an initial objection raised by lead defence counsel, lawyer Warrah Serry Kamal who objected that the matter be tried in Makeni, which she said is a jurisdiction on its own with a competent court.
Police alleged that on Friday 17th and Saturday 18th July 2020 in Makeni, Bombali District, the 13 conspired with unknown persons to commit a felony carrying offensive weapons, behaving in a disorderly manner, among others. Amadu Koroma, alias Kondoe, Idrissa Koroma, Joseph Yusif Bangura, Ibrahim Sesay, Baimba Bangura, Mohamed Conteh, Saidu Kpanabom Kargbo, Joseph Kanu and Mohamed Kargbo and five others faced seven counts charges ranging from riotous conduct, throwing missiles, disorderly behaviour, among others.
First prosecution witness, and Regional Operations Officer Northwest, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) George Momoh, recognised the 1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, and 11th accused persons and recalled that while on duty on the 17th and 18th July, he received a phone call from Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) Frank Alpha summoning him to a meeting. He said the meeting was on the relocation of a standby generator to Lungi Airport, adding that they should provide adequate security for the EDSA workers who were on their way to Makeni to relocate the said generator.
He said before that, AIG Alpha had told him that he had informed stakeholders of the relocation of the standby generator. “Before long, I got another call from EDSA that youths have barricaded the compound of EDSA to stop them from removing the generator, while some were on their way to SLPP party office. We dispatched a team of police officers to the SLPP party office, where 11 suspects were arrested, but were later released,” he said.
He added that on 18th July 2020, he and his team went to an area called Magbenteneh where they faced heavy attacks from the angry youths who pelted them with stones and mounted road blocks. Momoh said they were able to arrest the 2nd, 6th, and 7th accused and later retired to the Rogbaneh Police Station.
During cross-examination, lead defence counsel, lawyer Warrah Serry Kamal revealed that the accused persons Momoh claimed he arrested at Magbenteneh were not arrested there, but near the Makeni cemetery, adding Momoh came to court to deceive and fabricate a case against the accused persons when there is in fact no case against them. But ASP Momoh maintained that he was the one who arrested them at the aforementioned location.
She furthered that Mohamed Idriss Koroma whom he identified as the sixth accused, does not go by that name. She revealed that the sixth accused is named Mohamed Conteh. She also noted that the second accused that he identified as Idrissa Turay does not bear that name, but Abu Bakarr Momoh Kamara, and that the witness got the accused’s names mixed up and was less than far from the truth.
ASP Momoh insisted that those were the names of the accused persons. Second prosecution witness, and Commanding Operations Support Officer, Makeni Division, Anthony Moriba Simon Gaya recognised only the first accused for he came to know him on the day of the alleged incident. He recalled on the 17th and 18th July 2020 at about 20:30 hours, he received a phone call from the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Frank Alpha, in respect of a riot at the NP filling station.
He said he reported to the filling station where he met hundreds of youths chanting, “We nor go gree! We go die ya!” Gaya said he and a Lieutenant Bangura made efforts to persuade the youths to leave the area and report to the police station if they have any problems instead of gathering unlawfully, but they refused to listen and instead started throwing stones at police officers.
“I then gave an instruction to fire a warning shot in the air. They moved a bit far ahead of us, and went round EDSA fence and used the back gate to gain access into their office, while I and my colleagues were manning the main gate. Before long, the first accused was arrested and handed over to me, and I ordered that he be taken to the police station for questioning,” he explained. He furthered that he and his men made efforts to disperse the remaining youths who were still at the EDSA office.
“We sent them out of the compound and they went to another direction. Before long, I received intelligence that youths have vandalised the Sierra Leone People’s Party office. I then sent another team to the said office for deployment,” he added. He said on 18th July 2020, while he was still at the EDSA office, he received phone calls that youths are rioting in Makeni Town, and he informed the Operations Officer, who assured him that he will take control of the situation.
Lawyer Kamal applied for bail saying the young men were not implicated in the matter and that the offences are bailable ones, and urged Magistrate Mark Ngegba to grant them bail.
State counsel objected to bail through an affidavit, but lawyer Kamal responded that the said affidavit does not have a date, and urged Magistrate Ngegba to discountenance the said affidavit, calling it defective. She canvassed the bail plea on Section 79(2 and 3) of the Criminal Procedure Act. State counsel said a defective affidavit can be used at the Magistrate Court, but lawyer Kamal maintained that an affidavit has to be filed and stamped.
However, Magistrate Ngegba admitted the affidavit.
Lawyer Kamal further probed into the content of the affidavit saying the offences committed by the accused are public summary offences, and not grievous offences as the prosecuting counsel claimed, adding that the affidavit lacks particularity.
State counsel disclosed having more witnesses, and do not want the accused persons to interfere with them. Magistrate Ngegba noted that to grant bail would cause a delay as they all reside in Makeni.
He therefore refused bail and adjourned the matter to 27th August 2020.
By Sulaiman Karim Sesay