By Bampia James Bundu
Two alleged armed robbers now in police custody have confessed to attacking and wounding a market keeper of the Freetown City Council, James Grant, and stealing his motorbike and other belongings along Girls High School Road, Congo Cross. One of them, Foday Kamara, said they were persuaded by some friends to hoodwink motor bike riders and then rob them of their bikes. He admitted that they were about to go and sell the motor bike in Kamakwe in the far north of the country before they were apprehended by the police. The other suspect, Lamin Bangura, said that his aunty, one Mrs. Bangura, was their customer who bought all stolen bikes and sold them outside Freetown. The victim, Mr. Grant, recounted his ordeal. “On that faithful day at about 11-12 midnight, I was riding my uncle’s motor bike with registration number AHJ 958 and I was hired by one of the robbers, Foday Kamara from Bus Halt to Girls School for Le2000,” he said, adding that when they arrived the passenger gripped him from the back and two other guys came from nowhere and started beating him. “In the process one of them hit me with a machete in the head and dropped unconscious,” he recalled. He said he woke up after two hours and realised that his motor bike, money and mobile phone had been taken away. “I reported the matter to my uncle, the owner of the bike. He said I was telling lies and had to take me to the police station and asked that I pay for his bike,” he claimed. Grant disclosed that he was at the Central Police station for two days but was informed by the some of the police officers that they had apprehended two people at the Kamakwe police checkpoint with a stolen bike. He was later asked to identify the suspects and the bike, which he did. Crime Officer at the Congo Cross police division, Mohamed Amara, said investigations were still going on although the two suspects have owned up to the crime. “They suspects have confessed that they stole the bike with support from two of their friends who are on the run,” the investigator said, adding that they would soon charge the matter to court.
