By Janet A. Sesay

Amadu Koita Makalo has on Monday, 1 July, 2024, testify before Justice Komba Kamanda and panel of jurors in his defence indicating that he was also captured by the assailants at Wilberforce and there they forced him to make an audio to the people of the country, which he refused.

He also informed the court that he travelled from England to Sierra Leone to seek traditional healing at an herbalist’s because he was having problems with his feet and to attend the funeral of his brother who he was informed had died.

Led in evidence by defence counsel Musa Pious Sesay, Koita said he presently lives at the correctional centre and is not working.

He added that he was charged with the offences of treason, shooting with intent and numerous counts of murder to which he is completely innocent on the allegations levied against him.

Koita further testified that he was served with indictments alleging that he and other accused persons conspired together to seize 5th Battalion at Wilberforce and Murray town but said that he does not know the accused, adding that he cannot conspire with people he does not know.

He further told the court that he only knew the accused when he was charged to court.

Koita also denied having discussions with the accused to overthrow the government.

Testifying further he said he was not even in the country, adding that he was a former soldier who served for over twenty five years representing his county in Liberia and resigned in 2018 honourably with no stain on his record.

He furthered that when he was a soldier he survived four gun shots and is living with a rubber inside his stomach. Koita further testified that during his service as a military officer, he trained military officers who were his students, adding that he worked for the military as a soldier for eighteen (18) years.

He furthered that he has an unbroken record in his career and has won an award for Best Platoon Sergeant.

Koita said on 25 and 26 November they alleged that he incited Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma by sending him money for him to provide weapons to them but stated that he was not in Africa but in England, adding that he did not give money to Staff Sergeant Alhaji for that purpose.

He said he sent money to people based on request not only soldiers but family and friends.

He said he sent money to Staff Alhaji Koroma because he told him that he had family problems.

Koita further stated that he did not commit treason when he was a serving member of the military and cannot do such when he is out of service.

He said he sent money to Amerikin and Alhaji Koroma for them to share when they requested for money.

He also denied that nobody gave him arms and ammunitions and said he never knew what was happening in the country.

He said if he knew what was happening in the country he would not have come because he knew the consequences, adding that he did not have access to weapons, how would he shoot or kill somebody.

Koita continued that he left England on 22 November, 2023 to Morocco and landed in Guinea.

He furthered that when he left Guinea he crossed through the border and came to Kambia, adding that he met his younger brother who is a serving member of the military and they travelled to Makeni at night and got to a certain village for his treatment.

He added that he slept at the village for two days and on the 23 November the herbalist whose name he did not know came and asked him what happened, and after explaining to him he checked on him.

He furthered that the herbalist told him that not all the bullets that were shot on him were removed and he was heated up by the herbalist and the bullets were removed from his body.

He said after that he left the village and on 25 November, 2023, at 4 pm he boarded a car to Lungi and a friend of his, Mamoud Sankoh, who also lives in England called him to hang out.

He said he took the last ferry and met his friend at Lumley. He said his friend took him to Old School where the spent some time.

Koita further testified that he later told his friend that he is a social media type and did not want everyone to know his was in the country.

He said on 26 November, 2023, at 2:00 am while moving from Old School he and his friend boarded a bike heading to Lumley and on their way around Wilberforce area they met a checkpoint at Bottom Mango.

He said the military officers stopped them to check them, adding that he was not pleased with the checking and so he became sceptical. Still at the checkpoint he said one of the soldiers named Amerikin asked them to alight from the bike, adding that when they saw him they were happy.

He said the soldiers were all armed and during that time he heard gun shots. He said it was during this point that they got hold of him and asked him to make an audio recording for them. He said he was confused because he did not know what was happening.

He said they spent several minutes and the soldiers delayed him and asked the bike to go with his friend and they took him to the guard room area at Wilberforce, adding he went voluntarily with them.

He furthered that the assailants forced him to go with them to the guard room and he did not refuse because as a former soldier he knows when soldiers are angry what they can do on the next step.

He said at the 5th Infantry Battalion at Wilberforce they also forced him to still make an audio but he refused and he told them that when he is making an audio he analyses issues and not make an audio for making an audio’s sake.

Koita furthered that the assailants then ordered him to enter a military Land Cruiser which he did and they placed two soldiers to guard him, adding that he did not know what was happening and Captain Jalloh said he will explain to him later.

He said around 3 a.m. on the 26 November, 2023, he saw Captain Senessie entering the vehicle sitting in the front, and they left with three vehicles heading to Cockerill.

He said while going to Cockerill Captain Senessie was talking on the phone and upon their arrival at the gate a few gun shots were heard but Senessie was still talking on the phone.

He said later he saw Lieutenant Colonel Sandi coming towards them, adding that while passing through the soldiers they were complementing him since he was a senior officer.

He said seeing Col. Sandi he thought in his heart that he was one of the assailants, adding that he also testified in court as witnesses for the prosecution.

He said Captain Senessie came down the vehicle and met Col. Sandi and they both went aside and talked and later they both met them in the vehicle and Col. Sandi voluntarily joined them in the vehicle and they drove off.

Koita further testified that after they left Cockerill they were heading towards Murray town barracks, adding that on their way at Congo Cross they heard a blast and the vehicles stopped.

He said the soldiers in the other vehicles came down but he was still in the vehicle with two soldiers manning him.

He said later Col. Sandi and the other soldiers entered the vehicle again and they were heading to prison.

He said on their way they met the twelfth accused Abdul Hassan Sorie Kamara and the eleventh accused Kabba Kamara who were also forcefully dragged to join them.

Koita further testified that while on their way a police vehicle also joined them and they headed to Campbell Street where he attempted to escape but a soldier dressed like Asaba saw him and raised the alarm and they manhandled him, adding that the assailants gave him a rifle which was loaded but unloaded, which means there was no bullet in the magazine.

He said when they reached the prison gate, Col. Sandi told them to use the vehicle to open the main door of the prison gate and he jumped down the vehicle and went across the street.

Koita said Col. Sandi went inside the prison and during that moment he saw inmates coming out of the prison cells.

He said at that point they lost attention on him not thinking he would run away and he quickly dropped the rifle, joined the inmates and escaped.

He said before going to Pademba Road prison one of the soldiers who earlier collected his phone had given it back to him. He said he made statement to the police but he had problems with the statements.

He refused telling the court where he escaped to after running from the assailants saying that he is a military officer and cannot disclosed that.

During cross examination by state counsel AGM Bockarie, Koita said he left Guinea on 22 November, 2023 for Sierra Leone.

Exhibit Q1-33 was shown to him which is his voluntarily caution statements he made to the police.

On [page 4 of the statements he was asked by state counsel Bockarie to read what was written and while reading it indicated that he (Koita) arrived in Sierra without passing through Guinea.

Furthering answering questions Koita said nobody received him in Kambia when he arrived but later confirmed in his statement that Captain Jalloh received him when he entered Sierra Leone.

Koita furthered that Captain Jalloh was a member of the military force in Sierra Leone but did not know this deployment.

Koita said he called Captain Jalloh to receive him at Kambia town but did not know the actual time he called him to pick him up.

Koita furthered that the means of communication between he and Captain Jalloh was on WhatsApp.

Answering further Koita told the court that he met with Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma on 25 November, 2023 at the village of the herbalist where he went for treatment.

Exhibit ZZZ 1-6 was shown to him which is photographs printed from his phone and he identified before the court himself, Leather Boot, Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma and two soldiers whom he said he did not know, adding that they took the picture at the village he went for traditional healing.

At this juncture, Justice Komba Kamanda adjourned the matter to Wednesday, 3rd July, 2024, for continuation of cross examination.