By Francis H. Murray
The State Prosecutor in the preliminary investigations of Mariama Sajor Barrie and Ibrahim Bah, the two people accused of murdering five-year old Kadija Madinatu Saccoh, has closed his case before Magistrate Mark Ngegba in Freetown.
The decision came after the ninth prosecution witness, Alex Mohamed Nalo, a relative of the deceased, took the witness stand on Thursday 1st October 2020 to seal the prosecution’s case.
Led in evidence by State lawyer, Joseph A. K Sesay, Nalo, a student, recognized the accused persons whom he said he lived with at the same residence before the alleged murder incident.
He recalled that on Wednesday 17th June, 2020, he was in his apartment sleeping in the morning hours, but woke up to hear Ibrahim Bah (second accused) knocking at his door. He said the 2nd accused told him that Aunty Sajor (1st accused) was not feeling well.
‘‘So I picked up my shirt and went to their apartment where I met the 1st accused lying in the parlor and Kadija seated by the door. The 2nd accused and I went to the kitchen to prepare hot water for her and which l later brought to her in a cup with a tealeaf bag inside. I then went back to my apartment,’’ he explained.
He added that he had cause to later return to the 1st accused (Mariama) who was still in the parlor with the 2nd accused (Bah), Kadija and another little girl called Olivia, all watching a certain movie which had music playing along it. He said himself and the 2nd accused joked with Kadija, saying that she didn’t know how to dance to the music, to which she countered that she knew how to dance but was not going to do that at that particular time.
The witness added that the 1st accused sent him to a pharmacy to buy oral rehydration salt, while she at the same time sent the 2nd accused to Wilberforce to collect a certain medicine from one Aunty Sallay.
‘‘So we ran those two errands and came home later and met the 1st accused screaming ‘Kadijah! Kadijah! People pikin!’ So I rushed there and met the girl looking helpless in the hands of one Aunty Agnes. I then went to look for a means of transportation to take the deceased to the hospital. We first wanted to take her to the 34 Military Hospital but the first accused cautioned that the hospital was a COVID 19 treatment center and advised us to instead take her to the Lumley Hospital,” he explained.
He further noted that when they got to the Lumley Hospital, he saw aunty Sallay who had arrived before them crying and saying that the hospital had refused to attend to the deceased.
‘‘So the child was taken by Aunty Sallay and the accused persons to the Choithram Hospital, and I followed them later. I arrived there just when one of the doctors that had come outside asked us who was the mother of Kadaija and what was her address. We also enquired from the doctor why he was asking those questions. He stood silent for a while and then said to us that he regretted to announce that the girl had died,” the witness further explained.
Nalo explained that they later took the body of the deceased back home. He also said that he was later invited to the police station where statement was obtained from him.
Under cross examination by Lawyer Alhaji M. Kamara on behalf of the 1st accused, the witness admitted to have been treated as a suspect at some point during the course of investigations, because on the day in question, when he went over to the other apartment, he met the accused persons, Kadija and one Olivia who was of almost the same age with the late girl.
Meanwhile, defence lawyers representing the accused persons disclosed that they will be making a no-case submission on behalf of their clients.
Lawyer Kamara argued that the prosecution had failed to create any link between the 1st accused and the alleged murder of the deceased.
Lawyer Emmanuel T. Koroma, who represents the 2nd accused, also noted that based on the evidence before the court, he was making a no-case submission on behalf of his client.
The matter was adjourned to the 9th October 2020.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons, on 1st May 2020 and on diverse dates leading to Wednesday 17th June, 2020, at No. 23 Spur Road in Freetown, conspired with other persons unknown to murder Kadija Madinatu Saccoh.
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