By Feima Sesay
Prosecution Witness No 11 RSLAF 18182442 Corporal David Saidu has on Thursday 21st November 2024 tendered the statement of the first accused Major Patrick Ordende Sesay and 4 other high ranking military personnel before judge Advocate Mark Ngegba and 7 board members.
The first set of military personnel includes Major Patrick Abu Ordende Sesay alias PAO, Major Juana Kabba, Major Foday Sumana Kamara, Major Ibrahim Abu Bakarr Bangura, Lieutenant Zainab Amara Suwu and Corporal Mohamed Koroma .
All the accused persons are standing trial on 8 counts related charges of Mutiny, failure to suppress mutiny and desertion.
The witness who was led in evidence by Major Gabba said he is attached to the Special Investigation Branch, Head Quarter Joint Provokes Unit as an investigator.
Some of his duties he said, include to receive report relating to RSLAF and it members, investigate cases that have dealings with his colleagues, obtained statement and visit crime scenes.
The witness in further evidence recognized the first accused Major Patrick Ordende Sesay, second, third, fifth and sixth accused and further recalled 11th June 2024.
He said he was on duty on that day and was assigned together with other colleagues to obtained statements from the first accused person Major Patrick Abu Ordende Sesay and during the process he was cautioned and questioned and further informed him of his legal rights to be represented by a legal professional during the cause of the investigation.
The said statement was produced and tendered in court marked as exhibit JJ 1-17.
After the statement of the first accused was tendered to the Court, it was however read in court and revealed that he was born on 29th December 1982.
According to the witness, the accused was investigated for escaping from lawful custody to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone, but the accused pleaded not guilty to any of the allegations and that he was arrested on 29th July 2023 for an alleged subversion.
The accused in his statement said on 26th November 2023, while in cell together with One WO2 at the Reintegration facility, he heard gun shots and immediately a man dressed in black cloth with mask on his face broke into and entered their cell asking for a military uniform.
He said that the said man took his uniform that was hanging on the walls and that he attempted to confront the man, the man slapped him on his face and later placed him in police vehicle.
Some of the armed men he said engaged in a cross fight gun fight around Jiu and while they were around Orugu Bridge, he escaped to save his life.
He said he escaped together with some civilians who were running for their lives too.
The accused further testified that he was directed by a young boy to a hid out around Grafton where he was assisted by one woman who gave him a woman clothing and a hair which he wore to escape. He further said that, the woman took him to a nearby wharf to board a canoe and gave him a ladies bag which contains 1,000 new Leones.
“Before boarding the boat i removed the lady’s wig on my head and we left and slammed on 28 November 2023 in Conakry , Guinea and on 29th November 2023 i left Conakry for Senegal and was engaged in hustling with some Sierra Leoneans throughout December 2023”, the accused stated.
The accused in further statement said he met 5th accused Lieutenant Zainab Amara Suwu in Guinea and they decided to stay together, adding that while they were there, they tried to get visa for USA but they were later arrested by some Guinean police personnel who told them that they were arrested base on their involvement in November 26th 2023 failed coup.
Five of them who were arrested in Guinea were brought to the 11th Battalion in Kambia and later to the OSD head quarters in Freetown.
Corporal Saidu in further evidence after reading the statement of the first accused said on 22 August 2024, he conducted further interview on the first accused.
The first accused in his additional statement denied going to Guinea together with 5th accused Lieutenant Zainab Amara Suwu.
The State obtained from second accused Major Juana Kabba on the 9th July 2024 was also tendered in Court.
The said statement was obtained based on an enquiry into his alleged escape from lawful custody to overthrow President Bio.
The second accused in his statement said while he was detained at the Reintegration facility on 26th November 2023, they were in the cell when he heard gun shots sound and several hits on the said cell which was later forcefully opened by one civilian .
He said when they came out he saw some men dressed in military combat with their face covered and were firing shots.
The accused said he was taken out of his cell to the female facility and on his arrival there he saw several vehicles packed in convoys and he was pushed into one of the vehicles which happened to be a Police vehicle.
“the vehicle headed towards eastern part direction and and while on our way , the assilants saw one police officer waiting for a vehicle and they came down and chased him .
I used that opportunity to escape and went towards Waterloo and on the following morning I left for Kabala and on arrival , I slept at the lorry park where a man saw me sleeping there and I explained my situation to him and he helped me until I left for Guinea in February 2024″,
The accused in further statement said he met with some of his colleagues Major FS Kamara and Major Ibrahim Bangura and they stayed together until they were arrested on 20th June 2024 by some Guinean police officers and later brought to Sierra Leone.
The accused also revealed in his statement that while he was in Conakry, he contacted STD but was treated at CID headquarters.
The said statement was produced to the Court and marked as exhibit OO 1 to 10.
On 28th June 2024, the witness said he obtained statement from the 3rd accused Major Foday Sumana Kamara. His statement was also tender as exhibits PP 1 to 11. He was investigated for an alleged conspiracy to commit mutiny to overthrow president Bio.
When read, it was revealed by the accused that he did not join the Kalamera group to overthrow the government of Sierra Leone but he was joined in the WhatsApp group in 2018 by 6th accused corporal Mohamed Kamara.
The accused said while in the Whatsapp group he noticed that there were no control and so he deleted himself in April 2023.
On 28 July 2023, he was in Lungi and was about to travel to Tanzania for a course but was rejected because he had no Visa and thereafter he called one Retired Major Moody who told him that they will rescheduled his flight and on 29th July after several efforts, he returned to his residence at Lungi.
On 30th July 2023, he received a phone call from Colonel Francis Sheriff Aruna to return to Freetown saying that ” enti na una dea na Kalamera group if u nor cam tiday den dea go arrest u”, and said because of what his commander said to him, he was afraid and so
On 31st July 2023, he boarded a boat and flee to Guinea where he stayed together with 2nd and 4th.
The accused in his statement said on 20th June 2024, they were arrested by some Guinean police officers and subsequently brought to Sierra Leone.
