By Saio Marrah
A prosecution witness in the ongoing kidnapping case before Principal magistrate, Mark Ngegba of Pademba court No.1 has testified that the first and second accused, Prince Oscar and Emeka Ouigbo tied him up and that the first accused person started cutting his body with a knife.
Austin Nwosu testified on Tuesday 7th February 2023 that between the 11 and 16th December last year, the first accused person started cutting his arm and belly with a knife at the residence of the first accused. Nwosu, a businessman, said they did this to him after the first accused, whom he said he knew for a long time, convinced him to pay him a visit No. 26 Small Doherty Street Murray in Freetown saying his (Nwosu’s) friend wanted to see him.
On arrival, he said the first accused brought in the fifth, sixth and seventh accused persons as police officers and they arrested him and took him to what he called an unknown Police Station. The police officers took him to one of their bosses at the station where the first accused alleged that he owed him some amount of money and asked that he (Nwosu’s) passport be confiscated. He said after denying such allegations and after all the conversation, the police boss refused to confiscate his passport and ordered his release.
According to the witness, they also reported him to another police boss in the same police station, who also refused to confiscate his passport. He told the court that the first accused then called the fifth accused person outside the police station and when they returned, they told him that they would now return to the residence of the first accused.
Back at the residence of the first accused, the witness said he was told that all his conversation on that phone should be on speaker while the first accused confiscated his passport and gave it to the fifth accused and that the fifth, sixth and seventh accused persons, the alleged police officers left.
He said as soon as the officers left, the first accused hit him in his eye and the second accused started kicking him and the first accused also went into his room, brought out a knife and started cutting his left arm and the left part of his belly. He said at this point they had tied his hands and his mouth. The witness said, the third accused later joined them suggested that they lock him (the witness) up in a room, which he said they did.
The witness said the first accused filmed the act and that the video was in his possession to be tendered in court.
The magistrate granted bail to the three police personnel.
The seven accused persons are charged with six counts ranging from conspiracy, causing grievous bodily harm, larceny from person to assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (09/03/23)
