By Janet A. Sesay
Abubakarr Yillah, a former Police Officer attached to the Operation Support Division of the Sierra Leone in Karene District, made another appearance before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No.2 for allegedly shooting and killing a civilian with a pistol in Karene District.
The witness, Foday Alusine Kamara in his testimony described himself as a teacher and confirmed knowing the First Prosecution Witness, Mohamed Lamin Kamara as his brother and that he also knew the deceased, Fasineh Bangura who was his nephew. He also confirmed that he knew the Accused Person as a former police officer and also recalled Wednesday, 13th July, 2022 the date of the alleged incident.
He testified that on that day in the morning hours, he was at in his room when he heard gun shots all over the village and people were running helter-skelter. He said he came from his room and gathered his family inside the house, but that police officers and soldiers broke into the house and he was arrested and escorted to a waiting civilian vehicle.
Kamara went on that the accused was standing by the vehicle holding a pistol and he asked the accused why he was being arrested, and that the accused told him that he will soon know why he was arrested. He continued that later, the deceased was also arrested and they went with him to the same waiting vehicle he was put in. He said the deceased asked him why they were being arrested, but he replied to him, not to worry.
He said that while he was talking to the deceased, the accused pointed his pistol to their direction and shot the deceased who fell down at his feet since they were sitting very close to each other in the vehicle. Witness Kamara furthered that blood was oozing out of the body of the deceased which panicked him, but that the police officers came over and covered the body with a sheet of tarpaulin and he was transferred to another vehicle and taken to the Kamakwie Police Station. He said the deceased was brought to Freetown for autopsy examination and he made statements to the police.
During cross examination by Defense Counsel, Chernor Kamara, Witness Kamara maintained he was inside his house from where he was removed by the police and soldiers, and that the officers broke into the house and at that time the accused was also in the house with them. He said he knew nothing about what happened in the village but that when he woke up he heard gunshots all over the village. He said the deceased did not say anything to the accused while they were in the vehicle when but the accused decided to shoot him.
Another witness, Kadiatu Kamara in her testimony said the deceased was his neighbor and she also recognized the accused in the dock as a police officer and recalled the same date of the incident. According to her testimony, on the day in question in the morning hours, she saw a mix of police and soldiers surrounding the village. She said she was arrested from inside her house and taken to the mosque to sit down. She said she saw the second witness when he was arrested and later the deceased. She said they were given thorough beating by the combined police and soldiers present. She said she later heard a gunshot and she saw blood oozing from the body of the deceased. She said they were later taken to the Kamakwie Police Station and statements were obtained from them.
She was also cross examined by the Defense Counsel, Chernor Kamara. The accused was remanded in custody until 10th September, 2024 for continuation.
The accused is arraigned before the court on one count of murder contrary to Section 1 of the Offense against the Person’s Act of 1861 as repealed and replaced by Section 1(a) to the Schedule of the Abolition of the Death Penalty Act of 2021, Act No.6 of 2022.
The charge sheet indicated that the accused on Wednesday 13 August, 2022 at Yana Village in the Tambakha chiefdom Karena district murdered Fasineh Bangura.