By Theophilus Sahr Gbenda
The circumstances that led to the sudden death of Saidy Saio Jawara (aged 34) continue to put his bereaved family in great shock and fear.
It all started one fateful day when the now deceased disclosed to his mother, Madam Hawa Jawara that, ‘My friends have succeeded in killing me.’ He went on to say, ‘It’s like I have been poisoned because since I drank a bottle of water I took from the fridge in the house where I and my friends stay, I have been feeling uneasy.’
Not treating the surprising disclosure lightly, the mother, who is based in Maryland in the United States of America (USA) but on vacation in Sierra Leone, pressed for more details, much of which she recorded using her mobile phone.
Shortly afterwards, Saidy, according to Madam Hawa Jawara, told her he was leaving to watch the football match between Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast. ‘I did not want him to go anywhere, but by the time I sent people to ask him to return home to me, he was already far gone and hence couldn’t be found,’ said Madam Hawa Jawara.
Since then, she said she couldn’t trace her son’s whereabouts and that after a couple of days she became extremely worried that something wrong might have happened to him.
It was at this juncture, according to her that she decided to make a phone call to Joseph Cole, popularly known as J. Pack, to enquire about her missing son.
According to her, J. Pack, who happened to be the immediate known close friend of Saidy, responded harshly to her saying, ‘Never you ask me for your son again. It happened again the last time when your son got missing; I was the one you called to ask about his whereabouts.’
She said J. Pack went as far as telling her that from henceforth he was no longer interested in the friendship with her son, and that he warned her never to call him again for anything whatsoever.
Three days after, according to Madam Hawa Jawara, her son was discovered lying helplessly at the gate of her residence by Alie Jawara, his uncle, who was leaving the house for early morning ‘fajr’ or ‘subah’ prayers at a nearby mosque.
‘His entire body was covered with muddy dirt and visible wounds and bruises,’ Madam Jawara said. ‘He could not even walk or speak clearly.’ At this point, she said her son had to be physically carried upstairs to her apartment, where he was placed in the parlour.
Asked what happened to him, late Saidy, according to the mother, Madam Hawa Jawara, disclosed to all present and on tape that he was mercilessly beaten up by his friends and even dragged on the bare floor with the intention to kill him. Late Saidy was said to have quoted one of his assailants as saying, ‘You too aht for die’ (translated: it’s too hard for you to die).
Late Saidy, according to Madam Hawa Jawara, became clearly angry when she narrated to him what transpired between her and J. Pack. His reaction according to her was, ‘Me too, I don’t ever want him for friend again because in fact he is one of those involved in my beating.’
Another name he reportedly mentioned was Funky Pee, also staying at the same house. Late Saidy was quoted to have stated that, ‘In fact I am going to pack all my belongings from the house and relocate to my mother’s place.’
To restore his health, late Saidy was put on intensive treatment. A body scan result showed that he had lots of pain and was therefore being administered the due treatment when he eventually died.
When news of his death flared out in the neighbourhood, it was reported that some angry youth mobilised themselves and were heading towards J. Pack’s residence to avenge his death, but were pacified by Saidy’s mother who prevailed on them not to take the law into their own hands.
J. Pack, upon hearing that a mob was searching for him, went to the Lumley Police Station to make a report. It was not long after that Saidy’s mother also arrived at the same police station to register the incident surrounding her son’s death. J. Pack has since been held in custody as a prime suspect.
Funky Pee, the other prime suspect, has since gone on the run, reports indicate. As other issues bordering the issue unfold, scary revelations are beginning to emerge. One such revelation speaks to the fact that it was at the very house where the late Saidy was staying with J. Pack and Funky Pee that Baimba Moiforay, alias L.A Chocolate or LAC for short, was lodged after being released from the Pademba Road Maximum Prison on a now revoked Presidential Pardon.
Situated at No. 10Y Thompson Bay by Brother Market, the said house is rented by J. Pack, with the house owner being Abu Bakarr Sesay, alias Sixties (60s), one of the immigration officials currently in detention at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) over his alleged involvement in the controversial LAC passport issue.
How the whole thing culminated in the late Saidy being allegedly poisoned and later severely manhandled, remains a mystery, but what is clear, according to Madam Hawa Jawara, is that her son disclosed to her before his death that his problem with his friends erupted because he was in total disagreement with LAC being lodged at the house.
The result of the post-mortem examination performed on 2nd February 2022 by renowned pathologist consultant, Dr Owizz Koroma, shows that the late Saidy Saio Jawara was murdered. The causes of death, according to the post-mortem result, relate to multiple blunt force fractures/injuries of the neck and right leg, severe physical assault (manual strangulation) with fingernail and dislocation fracture of the cervical vertebral with spinal cord injury.
Acting rather proactively, officials of the CID have concluded their investigations into the matter and have sent the case file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution for advice.