By Aminata Phidelia Allie
The case of Eddie Tunde Williams, who allegedly slain journalist Joseph Ibrahim Foday, was on Thursday 28 March 2013 committed to the High Court of Sierra Leone for further trail.
The 32-year-old accused, whose preliminary investigation ended with a ruling from magistrate Komba Kamanda of Court No. 2 in Freetown was being tried on one count of murder contrary to law. He allegedly killed the journalist in June 2011 at Grafton during a land dispute which Foday was covering.
Magistrate Kamanda in his ruling, pointed out that though the defence’s case of alibi was considered technical, he couldn’t discharge the accused based on that alone, adding that even the pathologist confirmed that the deceased died because of the stab he received from the accused who “then removed the knife and licked the blood on it whiles jubilating”.
“Having heard all the evidences before me on this matter, I am committing you to the high court for proper trial. You have no right to say anything, because whatever you say now would be used against you in the high court”, he told the accused.
He ordered for the accused to be remanded until his case was mentioned in court.
Also in the same court, magistrate Kamanda committed the case of Alakeh Olive, Omar Majid Eustace Cole and six others for allegedly murdering Adeyemi Justine Patrick Johnson at 65 Old Railway Line, Wilberforce.
Appearing for the 19th time in court, their committal was made even before their guilty pleas to the police were read out. All the accused were tried on three counts of conspiracy to murder, murder and larceny; with arson added to that of the second and third.
First accused, the deceased’s late elder brother’s wife, admitted that she actually plotted to kill her brother-in-law for which she hired Edward Joseph Moijueh (3rd accused), who, in turn contacted fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth accused. She admitted to having wanted to keep her son (2nd accused) out of the whole plan but he, Eustace Cole, confessed that he joined the other accused persons to attack the deceased early one morning as he was closing his front door to go to work.
“We tied his hands behind his back, tied his feet, plastered his mouth and took him into the house to carry out our assignment”, his confessional statement reads.
All the magistrate could say after the statements were read out was: “as far as I am concerned this is the end of this matter here.”
