By Janet A. Sesay
Principal Magistrate of the Freetown Magistrates’ Court No. 1, Magistrate Mustapha Briama Jah, has tested the academic knowledge of four students who appeared before him in an assault-related matter, cautioning and discharging three of them after they successfully answered his questions.
The four students were among 17 defendants arraigned before the court on 13 counts, including fraudulent conversion, wounding and assaulting police officers.
During proceedings, the defendants pleaded guilty to the charges. Defence Counsel Maddieu Sesay, in plea mitigation, told the court that the defendants were first-time offenders and that some of them were students.
Magistrate Jah then asked the defendants who were students to identify themselves. Four of them stood up.
The Magistrate explained that he did not like to send students to prison because, according to him, they are the leaders of tomorrow.
However, he said he wanted to test their knowledge before deciding whether to discharge them, as he is not convinced that all those claiming to be students were genuinely attending school.
He informed the students that those who answered his questions correctly would be cautioned and discharged, while those who failed would be sentenced accordingly.
The second accused, Ibrahim Sorie Kanu, told the court that he was an SS3 Arts student. When asked by the Magistrate to explain the meaning of government, he was unable to provide an answer.
The seventh accused, Haja N’mah Koroma, an SS3 Science student, was asked to explain the meaning of an atom.
She successfully answered the question.
The eighth accused, Zainab Sesay, an SS2 Science student, was asked to spell “Calaba Town” and “police station,” which she successfully did.
The 17th accused, Abdulia Bah, who said he is a JSS 2 student, was asked to spell the word “guilty” and correctly did so.
Following the test, Magistrate Jah cautioned and discharged three of the students who successfully answered his questions.
However, Defence Counsel Maddieu Sesay made a further plea on behalf of Ibrahim Sorie Kanu. Counsel showed the court a photograph of Kanu wearing his school uniform in an effort to demonstrate that he was indeed a student.
Despite the plea, Magistrate Jah sentenced Kanu along with the remaining defendants to pay a fine of Le2,500 each to the State.