By Abass Jalloh
Police Constable Sergeant 9796, James Samai, attached to the Economic Financial and Fraud Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters in Freetown, has produced and tendered the charge statements of Alfred Fornah and 20 others who are before the court for allegedly committing various public order offences in Makeni in the northern province during the anti-government protests on 10th August 2022.
In his testimony on Wednesday October 19 at the Pademba Road Court No. 1 in Freetown, led by Prosecutor Yusuf Isaac Sesay, Sergeant Samai told the court that he recognized the accused persons in the dock.
The officer said on the 13th August 2022 at 13:45pm he was on duty at the CID when files came in from the Regional Police headquarters in Makeni that contained charges ranging from riotious conduct to disorderly behavior.
The files, which contained cautionary statements of the accused persons, were also attached with exhibits of four placards, according to the witness. He said they held in custody a pink placard with wordings “No police brutality, Maada must go”, yellow with “Handing over taking over tribalism on the increase Maada must go ppp”, white with “Free Salone Bio must go ppp”, and another pink with “We want our country back stop the killing we need food”.
The statements were verified by various defense counsels and presented and tendered to form part of the court records. However, the witness stated that they did not receive the statement of the 21st accused.
On the 19th August 2022 he recalled when he together with the Scene of Crime Officer, Detective Bangura H., visited Makeni photographs were taken where the accused were apprehended, noting that further inquiries were made and statements obtained from the witnesses and on 20th August, they returned to Freetown.
He also added that further inquiries were made from all accused except for the 4th, 8th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 17th, and 18th on diverse dates between the 14th and 21st August 2022, saying that he cautioned and questioned them separately and they responded separately in Krio, admitting the statements to be true. It was signed by him, he said.
On 15th September 2022 he and other colleagues charged the accused persons of mainly riotous conduct and disorderly behaviour.
A few defense lawyers cross-examined the witness and because some of these lawyers needed to deal with most of these statements while questioning the witness, the cross-examination session was deferred and the matter continues this Friday.
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