By Saio Marrah
A State prosecutor has told the jury in ongoing treason trial that they have proved beyond reasonable doubt for the two counts on treason, six counts on murder and one count on shooting with intent to kill levied against Amadu Koita Makalo.
In his closing address on Thursday July 18, 2024 Oladipo Robin-Mason said on the count of conspiracy in preparation of the treason the evidence revealed that Koita travelled from UK to Guinea and that he was received by his assistant team Members including Kabba and Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma in Sierra Leone. He said Koita and his men went to Makeni and then to a Village to see a herbalist called Pa. Sesay to fortify their bodies against bullets.
He said Koita and his men travelled to Freetown via Lungi and then went to 5 battalion at Wilberforce Barracks; looted weapons and then deployed some of his men to Murray Town Barracks close to the Joint Logistics Unit.
Lawyer Robin-Mason said for the overt acts of the treason, uncontroverted evidence revealed that Koita and his team of assailants tried to seize control of Wilberforce Barracks, Joint Force Command Headquarters at Cockerill Barracks, Murray Town Barracks and Correctional Centers and they freed inmates. He said Koita and his team of assailants did all of that in a bid to overthrow the Government of Sierra Leone by unlawful means.
Lawyer Robin-Mason said several evidences including that provided by a witness, Lieutenant-Colonel Sandi identified Koita at Cockerill Barracks and that Koita commanded Sandi to provide the key to the armoury at the Joint Command Headquarters and that it was further revealed how Koita was in command of the assailants.
He said another witness, Major-General Dauda Fred Alpha, saw Koita and Sorieba Mansaray at Murray Town Junction where they suddenly fired a Rocket-Propelled Grenade (RPG) at General Alpha’s vehicle from a closed range.
On the indictment for murder, the State Prosecutor addressed the jurors directly, calling their attention to the testimony of General Alpha that the blast from the RPG beheaded his driver and seriously injured him and that he had to be evacuated for fragments to be removed from his body. He noted that according to General Alpha several military personnel including Colonel Samai were killed at the scene.
Lawyer Robin-Mason said Lieutenant Colonel Sandi also corroborated the testimony of General Alpha that while he was held hostage by the assailants, he was in the same vehicle with Koita and that when they arrived close to Murray Town Junction, close to the Sierra Leone Commercial Bank, Kiota and Sorieba Mansaray alighted from the vehicle and walked towards the Junction and then he heard a blast. Col. Sandi said after that Koita and Sorieba Mansaray re-joined him in the vehicle and they proceeded to Pademba Road Correctional Center.
The State Prosecutor said Koita and his team of assailants killed other government loyalist forces at Wilberforce, when they attempted to stop them from carrying out their unlawful acts. He added that the postmortem report indicated that all those killed on the day of the failed coup in the areas under reference died of bullet wounds.
On the indictment for the offence of shooting with intent to kill, Robin-Mason told the jurors that Koita and his team of assailants fired RPGs at General Alpha’s vehicle with intention to kill the General.
He said the Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) footage at the Pademba Road Correctional Centre, showed Koita and his other assailants holding weapons including an RPG.
In reply, lawyer S.A. Conteh representing the accused Amadu Koita Makalo said the state failed to show reason why Koita was at Wilberforce on the night of the incident, after saying that Koita was traveling from Lumley to Old School at Hill Station when the assailants arrested him at Bottom Mango, Wilberforce.
Speaking on Friday July 19, 2024, Lawyer Conteh told the 12-person jury that the explanation by Koita that he was arrested by the assailants at Wilberforce stands uncontroverted. He added that Koita’s phone was taken from him by the police investigators but nothing in the phone indicated his involvement in the failed coup, apart from photos in the phone that showed him at a herbalist’s place, but that Koita told the court he went there to cure his foot, which doctors in the UK unsuccessfully tried to treat.
Lawyer said that there exists no nexus to connect Koita to the killing of the people that died in the incident. According to Lawyer Conteh even though bullets killed the victims of the incident of November 26, 2023 no evidence was adduced to show that the first accused had a weapon or shot and killed anyone.
Regarding the CCTV footage showing Koita and others in the front of the Pademba Road prison, he said all that the prosecution did was to make an inference, instead putting forward exactly what Koita did. He told the jury that the assailants forced Koita to do whatever they wanted him to do and that his client had no choice but to obey the assailants at the time and that the prosecution further failed to discredit Koita’s claim that he was forced to do what the assailants demanded.
Koita and 11 others are being tried in connection to the November 26, 2023 attempted coup.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (22/07/24)
