By Saio Marrah
A Member of Parliament, Mohamed Bangura, has admitted in his ongoing trial before the Principal Magistrate, Mark Ngegba of Pademba Road Court No.1 that he crossed a police checkpoint at Mathora Village in Tonkolili District without authorization because they did not give him the reason for mounting the said checkpoint and that it is an infringement on his freedom of movement.
Bangura, an accused person who pleaded not guilty to all charges ranging from assault, intimidation, riotous conduct, to obstruction of police work, said this during cross-examination by the state prosecutor, Yusif Isaac Sesay, on Friday last week.
The accused said he was on the 11th June 2022 travelling from Makeni to Sambaya Bendugu to attend their political party, the All People Congress (APC)’s stipulated date for the parliamentary by-election campaign.
Bangura also informed the court that had the Assistant Inspector Police (AIG), Gabriel Tommy, given a reason for refusing their passage to Sambaya Bendugu; he would have even stopped their party supporters from going to the campaign place.
Before the cross-examination, the accused noted in his testimony that while he and other APC members in the entourage were travelling for the said campaign, the AIG stopped his car saying they should not proceed.
He further informed the court that his driver, Mohamed Jalloh stopped the car when he (accused) disembarked the vehicle, met the AIG across the checkpoint, and then talked to him to allow them to proceed, but he could not allow them.
At a certain point, he said one police officer opened the checkpoint when vehicles started crossing. According to him, AIG Tommy immediately rushed to the street and stood in front of his (accused) vehicle.
While he was still standing where the AIG left him, Bangura said he saw his car moving across the checkpoint, but pointed out that he did not instruct his driver to move the car.
The accused however acknowledged that he later joined his driver in the vehicle and proceeded with the campaign.
The state prosecutor also noted that the accused’s driver escaped to Guinea when he realized that police had invited the accused for investigation in relation to the incident and that the accused was aware of such.
Bangura denied being aware of his driver’s escape to Guinea and that he only knew about it after his failure to report for duty. The accused also noted that his relatives also went in search of the driver at this house but could not see him.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (10/3/23)
