By Janet A. Sesay
The on-going treason trial against Amadu Koita Makalo and eleven (11) others came up again yesterday before Justice Komba Kamanda at the Freetown High Court where Koita, Hassan Kamara, Abdul Sorie Hassan Kamara and Tamba Yamba were identified in a CCTV footage played by witness Mohamed Jalloh showing them in front of the Pademba Road maximum prison facility.
Led in evidence by state counsel Yusuf Isaac Sesay, witness Jusu said he is attached at the CID HQ as a system and data analyst, adding that his role includes analysing digital evidence, extraction of electronic evidence and maintaining the integrity of such evidence during forensic analysis and making a report on the evidence.
Inspector Mohamed Jusu said he has been working at the CID since 2016.
He said following the incident of 26 November, 2023, he was part of the investigation team.
He said as head of his team, a request was sent by the CID to the management of the correctional centre for them to make available to them CCTV footages of the prison from 24-27 November, 2023.
He said a week later the management of the correctional centre gave them a flash drive or memory stick containing a footage of the November 26 incident at the Pademba Road maximum correctional centre.
Witness Jusu continued that he took the stick to the cyber lab and inserted it into the computer.
He said he used a software called “# key” which helped him to maintain the report of the footages.
He said he and team in the cyber lab watched the CCTV footage severally and one of their discoveries was that some of the people seen in the footages were police officers, soldiers and civilians.
He said since it was a joint investigation they had to call some military officers to help them identify the soldiers in the footage, adding that they also called Superintendent Bangura who brought other colleagues to help identify the police officers in the footage.
Witness Jusu furthered that after the identification as head of the cyber unit he suggested that the CCTV footage should also be showed to the accused.
He said the CCTV footage was played severally to the accused and some of them identified themselves in the footages.
He furthered that he later reduced his observation into a report which was tendered to the lead investigator to become part of the evidence in the investigation.
Witness Jusu continued that he signed the report on 30th November, 2023, with Detective Sergeant 6890 Sahr Foday Lebbie signing as the witness.
The CCTV footage report named “system and data analyst report” was tendered and marked exhibit RRR1-5.
Reading the report, he identified its CR number as 45/2023.
Reading further, the report said on Sunday, 26th November, 2023 there was an attack at Wilberforce, Murray town barracks and Pademba Road maximum correctional centre and evidential materials were captured by Camera one during the incident.
In the report, witness Jusu said along the Pademba Road prison two military officers were spotted in front of the gate with a military vehicle parked along the road.
The report further stated that Idrissa Kallon was seen firing inside the prison and later the wall of prison was blasted, and a group of armed men together with police officers and civilians were seen passing the prison.
He said the CCTV footage also spotted Kabba Kamara, tenth accused, wearing a white shirt and firing teargas inside the prison. He was later seen walking down the road heading to Koita and Kabba Dumbuya.
The report furthered that Kabba Kamara was spotted taking weapons from the back of the vehicle and that Koita, Abdul Sorie Hassan Kamara, Abu Dauda, and Sorie Kamara were also spotted.
After reading the report the flash drive containing the CCTV footage was tendered in court.
The video was shown in court and the witness identified Koita, Abdul Sorie Hassan Kamara, the twelfth accused, Kabba Kamara, eleventh accused, and Tamba Yamba, the tenth accused.
Also under observations and findings of the CCTV footage while it was being played in court, they showed that the walls of the Pademba Road prison centre was blasted.
Also witness Jusu identified Abdul Sorie Hassan Kamara holding a rifle in his hand passing along the street. But looking at the video carefully the person identified by witness Jusu on the screen was seen wearing shorts and only his body and feet were seen and not his face leading the jurors to ask for a clearer view of the person. Yet still the face of the twelfth accused was not seen, only the body and feet.
The witness said he also saw the eleventh accused wearing a white shirt in police trousers holding a teargas gun.
The tenth accused, the witness said, was seen standing close to the window of a house opposite the prison. Also two other military vehicles were shown on the screen.
At this juncture, prosecutor Isaac Sesay sought for an adjournment that they have other pieces of evidence which is the call log but that they have not yet served the defence with them.
He said they would complete with the witness on the next date.
Defence counsel Sigismond Conteh objected, adding that seeking for an adjournment would lead to delay of the matter. He said they have gone for a whole week and they expect that the prosecution should have been prepared and speed up the trial.
He added that the evidence led so far is fresh on the minds of the jurors and the defence will be able to do their cross examination.
Justice Komba Kamanda said the court had gone a week without sitting and so the prosecution ought to have been prepared.
He said this is not a court of adjournment, adding that the prosecution cannot be taking adjournments because they are prosecutors.
He ordered that at the next adjourned date they should conclude with the witness as the liberty of the accused is paramount.
The matter was adjourned to Wednesday, 8th May 2024.