December 9, 2021
By Hafsatu Z Bangura
Sylvester Fonnie, Alusine Koroma, Sheik Mohamed Koroma, David Ashimie Cole, Sheka Lahai, and Lovetta Maxmella Cole appeared before Justice Monfred Sesay of the high court of Sierra Leone court No.2 on two count charges of Conspiracy to Murder contrary to section 4 of the offences Act against the person Act 1861 and Murder.
According to the particulars of offence on count 1 that Sylvester Fonnie, Alusine Koroma, Sheik Mohamed Koroma, David Ashimie Cole, Sheka Lahai and Lovetta Maxmella Cole on diverse dates between the 6th April 2017 and the 9th April 2017 in Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone conspired together with other persons unknown to commit a felony to wit murder.
And on the particulars of offence on count 2 that Sylvester Fonnie and other accused persons on the 9th April 2017 at Freetown in the Western Area of the Republic of Sierra Leone Murdered Mohammed Kabba Kargbo.
First Prosecution Witness (PW1) Salieu Mansaray of 21 Adesina Railway Line and a worker of the MKD Construction Company said he knows the deceased person and the accused persons. He said on the 6th April 2017 he was at his office when he got a call from his boss that he instructed him to go to a place at Metchem Goderich to a military personnel who is a caretaker of the compound.
He said he went with three other persons and upon arrival he asked for the said Military Personnel of unknown name, and met his wife. He said the wife told him his husband was not at home but had gone to work. He continued that he was with Andrew, Pa Sorie, Yansanneh and Sallu Mansaray and left a message to the wife of the military personnel with promise to return the next day to see the said military personnel and that the wife accompanied them on their way out of the compound.
Pa Salieu Mansaray furthermore said that after they walked out of the house he saw a group of people approaching him including all the accused persons. He said the accused persons asked what he had come to do on the said land. He said the first accused made a statement that the next time he comes again to the said land he will be dealt with. The p[prosecution said he told the first accused person that he hadn’t come to him but the military personnel as per the instructions of his boss Sansui Kargbo .
He continued that the first accused then replied him saying that he is not the one he wants but his boss Sansui Kargbo that he wants to deal with. The prosecution witness said he responded to the first accused saying he will pass on the message to his boss.
He said he told his boss about the said land and that the boss told him he had bought the land from Sierra Leone Commercial Bank and that no one can stop him from going on it. He then asked Sylvester Fonnie and others go to the said house.
He said upon arrival at the place he met with the military personnel and introduced the men in order of these men to help the caretaker in taking care of the compound. He added that he also took nine additional men with him and went to the said Metchem.
He further testified that he met the military personnel and then took them on a tour of the perimeter of the compound. He said they were approaching a certain building while on tour of the compound when they saw group of people including all the accused persons approached them and asked them what they had come to do.
He said while they were being questioned he responded that they weren’t supposed to ask such questions and that they were going to pray and will be back after prayers to talk to them. He mentioned further that they left and shortly after they came back a group of armed men wielding bottles, stones, cutlasses chased them. He said he escaped from the compound and saw his colleagues flee, that five of his said colleagues took the same route and at a junction he saw others coming and but couldn’t see Mohamed Banya and the deceased Mohamed Kabba.
He explained that he informed his boss about the sad turn of events and his boss advised him to wait the next day for Mohamed Banya and Mohamed Kabba Kargbo to return. He said he only saw Mohamed Banya and that Mohamed Banya informed him that he ran into a compound and sought refuge in the said compound where he was able to reach out to see his friends informing them that he was okay, and that he heard people saying that one of their colleagues was stabbed and was taken to the Emergency Hospital at Goderich.
He concluded that they later found out that Mohamed Kabba Kargbo was the said colleague that was stabbed and rushed to the hospital. He said they went to the hospital but found out that he had been transferred to the Connaught Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Justice Monfred Sesay discharged all accused persons and discontinued the proceedings of the case against all accused persons of both conspiracy to murder and murder charge respectively.
The Defense was represented by K Kanu whilst the state was represented by A Jalloh.