By Saio Marrah
Seventh Prosecution Witness, Corporal Alfred ‘Methodist’ Kargbo, in an ongoing Court Martial set up to try 27 military personnel in connection to the November 26th attempted failed coup, has stated the one Captain Senesesie led in strange people towards the armoury.
The witness said he was on duty on the night of the incident, guarding the main gate leading to the Wilberforce barracks and the armoury.
He testified to the court martial on Thursday 25th January 2024, that Captain Senesie, who was the Commanding Officer of the C. Company, which he (witness) was part of, led two vehicles of strange men in black attire and ordered the witness to let them in.
He also added that Capt. Senesie, who was not among the accused persons in the dock, was the field officer at the 5th infantry battalion, on the night of the incident.
The witness however said when Capt. Senesie came in at 2:35 in the morning hours of 26th November; Sergeant Major Turay opened the gate, adding that he managed to look at the people in the vehicles.
The court martial learnt from the witness that when the two vehicles were allowed in, the very Sergeant Major Turay followed them to where they pulled up near the armoury.
He said he immediately saw the second accused, Sgt. Ibrahim Bundu Kamara alias Amerikin, coming from the direction of the barracks, approaching the gate.
The witness said he then asked the second accused who were the strange men accompanying Capt Senesie and Sgt-Major Turay, to which the second accused told him not to worry, and that he would know about them later.
He further informed the court about how the second accused, alias Amerikin went through the gate and to the main street, looking towards the Bottom Mango and the other end of the street.
He said Amerikin joined the strange people that were already with Sgt-Major Turay and upon insisting on who the men were Turay replied, “Methodist don't be afraid I am your authority and they are our friends’’, and even said the men were even late.
The witness said he woke up his colleague Private Jalloh who was sleeping at the gate’s guard post, to observe what was happening.
“I told him (Private Jalloh) to wait so that I can go and observe the strange people near the arms store,” he said.
He added: “As soon as I went closer to them, Capt. Senesie approached me and tapped me on my shoulder saying ’Methodist you are a gallant man and I want you to join this operation’. ‘’Then I asked him what operation is this. Then he asked if I had a phone then I said yes.”
The witness further told the court that the capt. ordered him to hand over the phone.
From that moment, he said Senesie moved two steps and cocked the gun he was carrying and ordered him to join them or else he ‘’will kill him in front of President Julius Maada Bio’’.
He added that two of the strange men cocked their guns as well pointing them at him. The witness said he then followed them to the arms storage where they met two guards, a female and a male sleeping with their guns.
As they were trying to disarm them, the female private soldier began screaming for help from the military police for intervention, he explained. During the struggle, the witness said he managed to escape, as they fired shots in his direction.
He said he went into the barracks and alerted other military personnel who then called both Presidential Lodge and Cockerill Military Headquarters about the incident.
Later, he said he made a statement to military police in respect to the incident.
During cross-examination by Lawyer Ibrahim Kamara representing the second accused, the witness told the court that he did not have a gun on the night of the incident.
The judge advocate, Mark Ngegba, then ordered the correctional service to administer medical checks to all the accused and that special attention be given to the 6th, 16 and 17th accused persons, who were reportedly sick.
The case resumes on 31st January this year.
The soldiers were among those arrested after attacks on the Wilberforce Military Barracks Armoury in Freetown, the Murray Town Barracks, Cockerill Military Headquarters and several police stations, on Sunday 26th November 2023.
Inmates at the male and female maximum correctional centres were then set free. Eighteen security personnel were killed by the assailants, with the authorities confirming three deaths on the side of the attackers.
Events that day were later interpreted by authorities as a coup attempt. Former president Ernest Bai Koroma, who is on bail on medical grounds in Nigeria, and some civilians were the first to be docked concerning the attempted coup.
Copyright © 2024 Politico (26/01/24)
