By Janet A. Sesay
Detective Police Constable 13374 Mustapha Bockarie of the Major Incident Unit at the Criminal Investigations Department- CID headquarters on Wednesday, 13th March, 2024, in an open court read the statements of the fourth accused, Ramatu Kamanda Conteh where she admitted calling Koita on his phone on 26th November, 2023 to confirm if he was in the country.
Officer Bockarie read Ramatu Kamanda Conteh’s statement before the trial judge, Justice Komba Kamanda, and the 12 (twelve) empanelled jurors set to decide on the matter.
Before reading her statement, witness Bockarie said he has been a police officer for seven years.
The witness recognised the fourth accused Ramatu Kamanda Conteh, ninth accused Ibrahim Sesay and eleventh accused Kabba Kamara.
He said on 12th December, 2023, he was on duty at the said office when the abovementioned accused were assigned to him for investigations.
He said he and Inspector A. B. Kargbo interviewed all the accused by observing the Judges’ Rules. He therefore tendered the statements of all the accused in court.
Reading Conteh’s statement, she denied the allegations that were levied against her.
He said Ramatu in her statement said she is a serving member of the Correctional Centre as a nurse.
She also stated in her statement that she knew Koita through his ex-wife called “Salma” as they attended the same school.
She further told the police that in 2021, she received a call from her cousin Dorinda who lives in America and she told her that she was living in Salma’s house.
Ramatu furthered that her cousin then told her that Koita wanted her number, which she permitted her to give out. She said she later received a call from Koita.
Reading further Ramatu also told the investigating team that on the day of the incident she was at home at Wellington and she received a call from family members including Dorinda Keita who asked her about the prison break.
She assured Keita that she would confirm via the prison’s WhatsApp group, which she confirmed and responded to Keita and her family that the talk of a prison break was true.
She said Dorinda then told her that through social media people said that Koita was among the people who took part in such an action. She said she was surprised, asking if Koita had the mind to travel from England to Freetown to do such a thing.
She explained that Dorinda Keita told her that she will fast and pray for Koita so that he will be trapped.
She further explained that Dorinda then asked her to call Koita on his phone, which she tried doing but could not reach him.
Ramatu furthered that on Tuesday, 28th December, 2023, Dorinda called her again informing her that Koita had been arrested and she asked her to delete Koita’s number from her phone, which she did.
She also said on 29th December, 2023, she went to work and was posted at New England Ville prison.
She said later in the day she was informed by her boss that the police were asking for her and they told her that they saw her number in Koita’s phone. She was arrested and taken to the CID HQ for statements.
Answering to questions put to her by the investigators, Ramatu said she has served the Correctional Centre for six years and is also engaged in business for eighteen years since she was working at Cottage Hospital as a nurse.
She confirmed chatting with Koita on 26th November, 2023 to know whether he was in the country, and she used her younger son’s phone to do the chat
She confirmed chatting with Koita again on her phone on other days.
Meanwhile, she confirmed sending messages to Koita on 27th December, 2023, but said he did not receive them.
She also confirmed that on Tuesday, 28th December, 2023 she chatted with Koita to confirm if he had been arrested.
Ramatu also confirmed that she knew that Koita was put on the wanted list but did not know if he was in Sierra Leone.
She also admitted that she communicated with Koita from 26-29 December, 2023, on WhatsApp and they did not discuss any other issue expect his marital issues.
She furthered in her statement that she had no idea about Koita’s plans.
After reading Conteh’s statements, witness Bockarie said as an investigator he printed the conversation between Ramatu and Koita and her name was saved in Koita’s phone as “Ramatu prison” and the said documents is with the Cyber Unit together with the phone she used to communicate with Koita.
Witness Bockarie, reading the statements of the ninth accused Ibrahim Sesay, said after putting the allegation to him he said he had contrary views to the allegation and said it was untrue.
Ibrahim in his statement said on 28th December, 2023 he was at Makeni when he received a call from AIG Samadia that he wanted to see him. With 15 years of service and as permanent body guard to a former president he had to go and know why he was being called.
Ibrahim in his statement said upon arrival Samadia ordered two police officers to go and search his house, to which he agreed, and upon their arrival at his house the two officers and himself went inside and the whole house was searched and nothing of police interest was found.
He further told the police that after the search the two police officers wrote on a piece of paper, which he watch and signed, after which they took him to the Mina police station, from where Samadia ordered the police to take him to Freetown.
He said he then asked Samadia why they were taking him to Freetown and he told him that he would know when he got to Freetown.
He said upon arrival at Freetown he was taken to the detention facility and was locked up. He was later removed to make statements but requested for his lawyer, who arrived.
Answering further to questions put to him by the investigators Ibrahim said his responsibility is to provide security to the former president, adding that he belongs to the Operational Support Department as a Close Protection Officer.
He said on the day of the incident he was at Makeni in former President Bai Koroma’s premises.
He further told the police that he knew Leather Boot and Koita but not Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma.
He said he knew Leather Boot as former workmate to former president Koroma and knew Koita through social media when he used to say things about the government.
He said his relationship with Leather Boot was not cordial when he was working with the Former President, adding that he had not set eyes on Leather Boot from 2022 to date.
He further told the police that he had never conversed with Leather Boot, neither Koita.
He said he and Salifu Kamara, third accused, were bodyguard to former President Koroma.
He said the allegation to overthrow the government is not true.
In the case of the eleventh accused Kabba Kamara, witness Bockarie only read a portion of his statement saying he was not fully part of the investigation.
He said Kabba Kamara also said in his statement that the allegation made against him is not true.
He said Kabba told the investigators that he was enlisted in the Police Training Force in 1991.
He said on Saturday, 25th November, 2023, in the morning hours the director of the OSD headquarters, Mr. Mendi and other officers including himself went out on a patrol at King Harman Road, and also to Congo Cross.
Kabba in his statement said at Congo Cross they left the vehicle for foot patrol and whiles walking he was holding his pistol when unknown gunmen started shooting at them and they all went in different directions.
He said he went into hiding and after the incident he came out and was captured by some well-dressed men in military uniform who told him to sit down, which he did.
He said one of the unknown men took his pistol from him and they placed him inside their vehicle, and drove towards Campbell Street.
He furthered that at Campbell Street one of the soldiers asked him to alight the vehicle, which he did and the soldier hit him with the gun on his chest, which was very painful, and they forcefully removed his uniform. He said they also removed an RPG and instructed him to fire it, but he refused for which they threatened to kill him if he refused.
Kabba told the police that he then took the RPG and fired it, with the gas from the gun follow them. At this point the attackers were confused making it easy for him to escape and went into a primary school where he removed his soldier’s outfit for him not to be identified by the attackers. He later went to the OSD headquarters.
At this juncture, witness Bockarie said he was not part of the following investigations, which ended his testimony.
The witness was cross examined by Defence Counsel Emmanuel Teddy Koroma on behalf of Ramatu Kamanda Conteh and by Defence Counsel Ady Macaulay on behalf of Ibrahim Kamara.
The matter continues today for continuation