By Francis H. Murray
Detective Police Constable 9268 Joseph Jay Collins, who participated in the investigation of the recent violent unrest in the northern city of Makeni, has testified before Magistrate Mark Ngegba in Freetown in the ongoing preliminary investigations into a seven-count charge including conspiracy to commit an offense and carrying offensive weapons without lawful authority. The cases involves 13 accused.
Led in evidence by Lawyer Yusuf Isaac Sesay on Thursday 10th September 2020, the witness recognized all the accused persons and said he is attached to the Major Incident Unit of the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters in Freetown.
He recalled that he was on duty on Saturday 18th July 2020, when his department received a transferred case and inquiry file together with the accused persons and others, from a team of detectives led by the Regional Crime Officer North East, Detective Superintendent of Police James Kargbo.
He said that the case and inquiry file handed over to him centered on a case of riotous and other related offenses and contained statements of witnesses, arresting officers, and voluntary caution statements of seven of the accused persons.
Collins went on to note that on Sunday 19th July 2020, the case and inquiry file were officially handed over to him for further investigation and that he was assisted by colleagues from various operational divisions within Sierra Leone.
The witness continued to note that he, together with other officers, separately and contemporaneously interviewed the accused persons followed by question and caution statements signed by the respective recorders.
He added that a team of detectives from the CID, including himself, headed by Detective Superintendent Theophilous S. Koroma, proceeded to Makeni in furtherance of the investigation, adding that several other activities were done including house-to-house visits as well as at identified hotspot areas during the riot.
Collins added that the team of detectives also visited the Electricity Distribution and Supply Authority (EDSA) offices in Makeni with photographs taken of the damage on the property as well as several other damaged properties owned by people during the course of the riot.
He went on to note that they obtained statements from stakeholders including the Mayor of Makeni and her deputy, Chairperson of the Bombali District Council, Security guards attached to the Electricity Generation Transmission Commission (EGTC) power station, police officers and the Young Generation Leader of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) in respect of the damage done to their regional party office during the riot.
The witness added that some exhibits, including three machetes, stones, sticks attached with nails, pieces of burnt chairs, broken pieces of glasses and a partially burned banner with the inscription SLPP, as well as some other exhibits relevant to the matter, were discovered during the visit.
He further noted that upon their return, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, John Turah, and the General Manager of EGTC were contacted and statements obtained from them.
In renewing her application for bail, defense lawyer for all the accused persons, Wara Serry Kamal, pleaded that the 3rd accused (Themu Bangura) is a WASSEC candidate and is supposed to start school next week, adding that remanding him will halt his academic work. On the same note, she disclosed that the 6th accused, Mohamed Idriss Koroma, had a hearing impairment and also suffered from hernia, adding that the offenses against her clients were bail-able.
All thirteen persons were again denied bail and the matter adjourned to the 17th August.
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