By Saio Marrah
In his closing address, the lead state prosecutor Joseph A.K. Sesay has admonished the court-martial in Freetown that the first convict and the other remaining 26 soldiers planned to overthrow the Julius Maada Bio led-government without thinking about the repercussions.
Lawyer Sesay told the court-martial on the second and final day of his closing address on Tuesday, August 6th 2024 that the soldiers knew that their brutal actions would result in killing innocent and unarmed people leading to wives becoming widows, children being fatherless, but they never cared. He went on to say that they never thought that a day of reckoning would come.
He also told the court martial that the prosecution had proven their case beyond all reasonable doubt that all the remaining 26 accused soldiers were culpable for the charges levied against them.
He said the first convict, Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma, who had been sentenced to 35 years, explained and confessed how the coup attempt was planned and executed. He talked about how they went to a witch-doctor for protection against bullet before executing their plan.
Lawyer Sesay told the court that the first convict also named some of the accused persons and other persons on the run as his co-conspirators in the failed coup, which led to the killing of 19 innocent persons.
He said to commit mutiny, for which all the accused are indicted, one does not necessarily has to be at the scene of crime to bear the consequence of the action of others, but it should be established that they all had agreement to undertake such mission.
He went into say that when a co-conspirator identifies another, that is enough evidence to convict the other conspirator and that the first convict named some of the accused and others on the run.
He said the second accused, Sergeant Ibrahim Bundu Kamara alias Amerikin attached to 5 infantry battalion, testified that he left his house that night, went to where heavy firing was and that he was arrested, and forced to fill magazines.
He was reportedly saying he later escaped, but failed to inform his commanders that he was held by the enemies and that they looted ammunitions.
The prosecutor said Amerikin decided to conceal the identity of Captain Senensie, Jalloh and others because they are his co.
The prosecutor cited a guard witness who saw Amerikin that night looking for government forces. In a statement which the 2nd accused denied, he was quoted saying he was betrayed by his boss, Captain Senesie through whose phone Koita told him that he(koita) wanted to overthrow President Julius Maada Bio and went onto say that other top commanders in the army were with him(koita).
For the third accused, Staff Sergeant Alhaji Bassie Conteh attached at 15 battalion in Lungi, the prosecutor said he left his deployment and joined others to commit mutiny. The prosecutor reported the accused saying he went to the witch doctor because he had an issue with his wife.
In a photo displayed in court, the 3rd accused was sitting right next to first convict.
The fourth accused, Abu Dauda, whose Whatsapp audio message sent to Koita was played in court indicating that they would use a gigantic cutter to gain access to the Joint Logistics Unit(JLU) general armoury. The audio further indicated that they would not hesitate using a bullet to kill the personnel with the keys to the said armoury.
In the audio, he was also giving intelligence to the enemy about the strength of military personnel guarding the armoury, how often the patrol team operates and so on. He was deployed at the JLU by then. The prosecutor described that as an act to be mutiny.
He said the fourth accused, who said he was later captured by the assailants at cockerill, had earlier requested for Rocket Propel Grenade(RPG) as supporting weapon when he was with the government forces. The prosecutor said the accused made that request because he had wanted to use it against government forces.
He said the 5th accused, Corporal Thally Marah argued that he was not around during the coup attempt, but that the first convict named him to be the one who transported the weapons in coal bags using his own taxi from Kambia to Lungi.
The prosecutor went on to say that the accused denied his statement, but he did not object it when it was being tendered in court.
Lawyer Sesay outlined evidence against the other accused persons including the 17th accused, Commanding Officer of 5 infantry battalion, Leutnant Colonel Charles James M. Yamba that he failed to protect to his battalions’ armoury which was one of his key responsibilities.
The prosecutor added that the enemies eventually used the weapons from his amoury to execute the failed coup.
He went on to say that the colonel did so in spite of an instruction given to him by the Joint Force Commander for him and his soldiers to be on alert that night.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (07/08/24)
