“They threatened to hunt my family and me down – Police commander tells court

By Saio Marrah

The Local Unit Commander (LUC) of the Waterloo Police Division, Ibrahim Mohamed Sama has testified at Pademba Road Magistrate Court No.1 in which he claimed that several people threatened to hunt him and his family down on allegation that he blocked Dr.Samura Kamara’s motorcade at Mile 38 Checkpoint.

He was testifying before Magistrate Mark Ngegba on Friday 21^st July 2023 that between the 3^rd and 15^th March 2023, he received several calls and messages on WhatsApp and SMS on his mobile phone from different people full of threats directed at him and his family.

“I was in complete fear for my life and the lives of my kids,” the complainant told the court.

According to the LUC, the arrest of the accused, Issa Mohamed Kamara, who stood in the dock staring at the complainant, came after the officer reported the matter to the Cyber Unit, Waterloo Police.

He said the matter was transferred to the Cyber Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters in Freetown.

He said he was later informed by the Cyber Unit that they had tracked the accused’s mobile phone number, alleged author of one of the WhatsApp messages.

The LUC then tendered the printed version of the threatening messages to the court.

The LUC informed the court that on the 2^nd March this year, the Inspector General of Police, instructed him to reinforce security at the Mile 38 checkpoint and escort the then Presidential Candidate, Samura M.W.Kamara of the main opposition All People’s Congress (APC) travelling with 10 vehicles.

The 20-year-old accused, a resident of 47 City Road Wellington in Freetown had no legal representation.

Asked by the presiding magistrate whether he had any question for the complainant, the accused said he had none and told the court that he has hearing problem.

The accused faces three counts of cyber bullying, sending obscene messages by means of computer system, and sending insulting messages by computer system, all in contravention of provisions in the Cyber Security and Crime Act of 2021.

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