By Musa Paul Feika
On 20th November, 2020, one Aruna Koroma and four others stood trial before Magistrate Alhaji Suliaman Koroma, of the Ross Road Magistrate Court No.1, for maliciously damaging a kiosk worth millions of Leones. The destroyed property belongs to the complainant, Albert Batilo Samba.
This incident took place on 4th November, 2020, at Waterloo in the Western Area Rural District (WARD), outside Freetown.
The prosecution witness, Albert Batilo Samba, who also doubles as the complainant, in his testimony, told the court that he recognized the accused and could recall 4th November this year.
Mr. Samba continued his evidence noting that, on that fateful day, he was at home at around 10:00 am, when he saw the 4th accused cutting branches from a mango tree on his land. “When I enquired from the 4th accused, he told me to ask the one who gave birth to me,” the witness said the court.
The witness added that he also saw the 2nd accused destroying his demarcations on the said land, noting that, upon enquiring from the 2nd accused, he told him that the parcel of land, in question, belongs to the 1st accused, Aruna Kargbo, who was their leader.
“The 1st accused forcefully asked me to leave the land,” Mr. Samba informed the court.
The witness detailed the court that the 1st accused instructed the 4th accused to go and call the relatives of the 1st accused in order to quit the complainant forcefully from the land.
According to Mr. Samba, the 4th accused later came with some people, adding that as sooner they approached the land, the 3rd accused instructed them to help him destroy the kiosk of the complainant, which was placed on the land. He said, while some people were busy destroying his kiosk, others were also engaged in destroying the demarcations (baking) on the land.
“I was later surrounded by the crowd, adding that one man, from the crowd, whose name I could not recall now, advised me to leave the crime scene in order to save my life, which I did,” the witness narrated to the bench.
The accused were arraigned before the court on six counts of malicious damage, abusive language, public insult and provocation, which are all contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
The police charge sheet adduces that, Aruna Kargbo and four others, on the 4th November, 2020, in Waterloo, outside Freetown, maliciously damaged the kiosk of the complainant, which is worth millions of Leones. The charge furthered that the accused, on the same date and address, in Waterloo outside Freetown, insulted and provoked the complainant in a manner to cause him to commit a breach of the peace.
The accused are on bail and the matter was adjourned to 30th November, 2020.