By Janet A. Sesay
Police witness, Sergeant Bangura Osman 9th accused, Idrissa Kallon has told the court that he opens the prison for inmates to escape upon an order from the coupists.
Before his arrest and indictment, the accused was a serving member of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed forces with Force number 18168075.
He made a clean breast of himself while making statements to the Military Police in respect of the “attempted coup” of November 26, last year.
The accused’s statement was re-echoed by a military investigator, Sergeant Osman Bangura while testifying before Justice Komba Kamanda and the 12-member jury. He was led in evidence by state counsel, Lieutnant Colonel, M.A. Lusene.
The witness Osman Bangura recognised the accused, Idrissa Kallon and six others claiming to have obtained statements from them.
The accused’s statements read by the military investigator showed that the accused was guilty of the allegations.
Kallon said, in his statements, that on 25th November, 2023 he was at Number-2 beach and later left for PZ in central Freetown on board a motor cycle.
While on his way, he came across two soldiers on Wilkinson Road who pointed a gun at him after stopping the bike.
The bike rider, according to the accused’s statements, ran away while the two soldiers threw him in the vehicle and drove off, and someone shouted his name but could not tell who was that.
Upon their arrival at Cockerill headquarters, accused said, he was placed in a cell where he met Lieutnant Colonel Sandy who was also captured by the team.
In the morning hours of 26th November, 2023, they took him to the main correctional facility on Pa Demba Road where firing was going on between the army and the enemies.
In his statements, Kallon said he had previously consulted a herbalist in Makeni city, in the Northern region, known as Pa Sesay for protection from bullets in respect of the coup d’etat but denied doing it.
Accused also said in his statements that he was forced to join the coup by captain Jalloh who, he said, had gone at large adding that he was ammunition placed in a charcoal bag to bring from Lungi to Freetown.
The matter comes up again this Friday.