Ibrahim Foday, slain journalist
By Aminata Phidelia Allie
The first prosecution witness (PW1) in the murder trial of slain journalist, Ibrahim Foday yesterday told a magistrate court in Freetown about how he met his death.
Sheriff Kamara told Court No. 2 that Foday was stabbed by Eddie Tunde Williams, who is now standing trial, after he drew out a knife and stabbed him in the back. He said the accused removed the knife and licked the blood on it while jubilation.
PW1 said they tried to raise the journalist from the ground but that when they reached the Grafton Hospital at Cow Yard he was pronounced dead.
He told the court, presided over by magistrate Komba Kamanda, that: “A policeman known as ‘Batez’ then grabbed the deceased, threw him to the ground and one Murray hit him [the deceased] with a stick.”
He added: “I tried to call him to order but the accused, who was behind him suddenly stepped forward and stabbed Ibrahim in his back. It was a very deep stab. He withdrew the knife and went away licking it and jubilantly saying that he had stabbed and killed him.”
According to the witness, who is a businessman and a wheelchair-bound disabled, on Saturday 11 June 2011 some youths of Grafton had gone out to brush a disputed land said to have been given to them by one Imam in the community.
Another group of young men from neighbouring Kossoh Town, among them the accused, also went out on the same day to claim the same portion of land.
He explained that the Grafton youths tried to reason with their Kossoh Town counterparts but they refused to listen and “then went to Jui and mobilized some policemen”. He said some the officers who had guns, “joined forces with the Kossoh Town youths and started beating and chasing us out of the land.”
On Sunday 12 June, 2011, PW1 recalled, a certain Hon. Raymond Jones gave them some money to organize a meeting which the deceased was to cover as a journalist. While at the meeting, he went on, “we suddenly saw a group of youths coming towards us. Some were carrying cutlasses, some knives, some fuel and matches and sticks. We identified them to be Kossoh Town youths who told us that they had come to burn Grafton down”. He said they included the accused whom he said was dressed like a Kamajor.
Meanwhile, defense lawyer Augustine Kailie Musa asked the court for a short adjournment so he could talk with his client. The case was adjourned to Monday 10 December.
© Politico 06/12/2012
