By Saio Marrah
The 28th prosecution witness in the ongoing treason trial has testified that the assailants arrested him three times during their operation but that he managed to escape each time.
Lieutenant Colonel Sheikh Ahmed Sandy told the court on Monday 22nd April 2024 that it was around 22:00 hours on Saturday 26th November when one Lieutenant Colonel Sannoh, who was attached to headquarters, 3 infantry brigade, told him to release his (Sannoh’s) driver and three other soldiers, who were in his detention because he was due to proceed on patrol that night.
The witness, who described himself as the Commanding Officer of the Joint Provost Unit (Military Police Unit) at the Cockerill Military Headquarters in Freetown said he then called the Commander of Joint Force, Major-General Dauda Fred Alpha to confirm what Sannoh had told him and that he was then informed by General Alpha that there was imminent attack that night and all commanders in Western Area were summoned to Cockerill for security briefing.
He said after attending the briefing, at about midnight, he received a phone call from one of his military police personnel attached to the Provost Company at Wilberforce in which a “security incident” at the 5 infantry battalion armoury was reported to him, and that he decided to go to the scene to confirm the information. According to him, while at Wilberforce he informed the commanding officer of 5 infantry battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Yamba about the incident and asked him to repel the assailants.
Later, he returned to the Cockerill barracks, and within 10 minutes of his arrival at Cockerill, they (the witness and other senior officers) heard about three or four Rocket Propel Grenade (RPG) blasts mixed with small arms fire at the main entrance to Cockerill which continued for a while.
Colonel Sandy said when the firing died down after about 45 minutes he was ordered to go and confirm what happened at the main entrance. He said as he approached the gate he saw two vehicles, one of which belonged to the military police at Wilberforce Provost unit.
The witness told the court how he saw Captain Senesie, who was deployed at Lungi, and other well-armed soldiers but he thought Senesie had been called upon to support the security alertness at Cockerill. He said someone tapped him on his shoulder and dragged him to the back seat of one of the vehicles, where Koita and Kabba, former bodyguards to the former president, Ernest Koroma, were seated.
The witness said Koita, and others took his pistol and two cell phones from him and ordered him to remain in the vehicle and obey his commands while asking him for the keys to the amoury which he told Koita he didn’t have.
After a while, Koita told the troops to proceed to the Joint Logistic Unit at Murray town, but when they approached Murray town junction, he heard a blast of RPG and their vehicle came to a halt. He said he then saw armed troops coming from the Murray Town axis but the assailants arrested some of them. The witness said OSD personnel matching from Congo Cross were also arrested and forced to join the assailants.
According to Colonel Sandy Koita ordered him to make a phone call to the Commander of Joint Logistic Unit (JLU), using his (witness’ phone that had been seized) and report that Presidential Guards will be replacing the military personnel at the JLU, so they should evacuate.
The witness said instead he called a junior soldier of the JLU with no power to remove the personnel from the JLU, without seeking authorization from the commander. While still at Murray Town Junction, Koita told troops including the recently arrested OSD personnel that he was undertaking the mission for the benefit of all security personnel.
According to him, the assailants arrested more OSD officers at Campbell Street and proceeded to the main gate of the central prison where Kabba gave instructions for the vehicle, where he (witness) was seated to hit the main gate to force it open, which an unknown driver did.
He said the assailants asked for Captain Milton who was in cell 11. He said at that point, he pleaded with Koita to allow him to go into the compound and help to free the prisoners to which Koita agreed with the warning that he should not attempt to escape.
Col. Sandy told the court how he managed to change from his military uniform into civilian clothing and escaped together with the prisoners but that Staff Sergeant Idrissa Kallon later arrested him and placed him in a vehicle. He would later give some money to Kallon to let him go.
According to him, another Staff Sergeant Abu Dauda, who had also been arrested by the assailants picked him up but they both managed to escape and return to Cockerill Military Headquarters where he introduced Dauda to other senior officers as the man who helped him escape from the assailants but he was then told to arrest Dauda who had already left the barracks but was eventually arrested at Lungi.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (24/04/24)
