August 2, 2021
BY AUDREY JOHN
After they allegedly murdered one Kai Osman Fengai in Koidu Town, Kono District, five accused persons have been sent back to the Pademba Road Prison after they made another appearance before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at the Magistrate Court No. 1in Freetown.
Police alleged that Mohamed Johnson, alias birthday after birthday, Aiah Komba, Kalilu Fofanah, Victor Kellie, and Ishmael Charles on Tuesday 20th April 2021, at Koidu Town in Freetown, murdered Kai Osman Fengai.
These accused persons are faced with two counts charges of conspiracy to murder, and murder contrary to law.
Led in evidence by State Counsel, lawyer Yusif Isaac Sesay, third prosecution witness, Tamba Senesie, a resident of Kono, who is also a Cargo Tracker, recognized the deceased, Kai Osman Fengai, and all accused persons in the dock.
He identified the first accused “birthday after birthday” that he told the Court that he came to know them on a day he was attacked, the second accused he identified as, “Akon”, the third as “Kaliso” the fourth as T-boy and then the fifth accused he identified as “man diesel.”
He recalled that on the 20th April 2020, he left his home to get a haircut in Koidu. Afterwards Senesie said he left the barbing shop with three of his friends, including the deceased Kai Osman Fengai.
“As soon as we left the barbing shop for about 50 to 60 Meters, I saw the second accused, Akon, who rushed before my vehicle and started insulting me. Akon told me in our local dialect “na d basta pikin dis wae dem don betray Sam Sumana.”
He continued that a lady who was selling nearby alerted him not to park his vehicle on the road, because it wasn’t the second accused who was within the scene of crime, but had his colleagues in hiding. Senesie said he saw all accused persons in the dock and some other Individuals whom he said are on the run.
He disclosed that the fifth accused and one other went ahead of him and stood, so he became apprehensive and could not go further. “The second accused came on the front of my vehicle and started hitting it. I wind the glasses of my vehicle up after I realized they had surrounded me. But the deceased came down the vehicle and then I saw the second accused crossed to the veranda of a man named Sahr Tholley. He picked up a knife, while one of their colleagues was holding a cutlass. The Kai Osman Fengai (now deceased) and Komba came down the vehicle who was shielding them from reaching me.
During the course of the argument and fighting, the second accused, Akon stabbed Kai Osman Fengai on his left chest,” the witness revealed.
Senesie added that he rushed the deceased to the government hospital in Kono, while he went to the Police Station and reported the matter. He said the police refused taking statement from him; rather they insisted that they should see the deceased first. He said the police went and saw the deceased and returned to the Police Station where he made statement. “Before long, I got a call that the deceased had died, at the hospital” he further revealed.
He told the Court that the corpse was later conveyed to the Mortuary.
On the 23rd April 2020, he said a request for postmortem was sent to the Pathologist, adding that he and two police officers conveyed the corpse to the Connaught Hospital Mortuary.
During cross-examination, by defense counsel, lawyer Sahid Sesay, the witness disclosed that except for the first accused whom he came to know in the matter, he had known all other accused persons before the alleged murder.
When he was asked if he was in speaking terms with the accused persons, he said after the 2018 elections, he and the accused persons hadn’t any good relationship.
When he was asked whether he was in the same political party with the accused persons prior to the 2018 elections, the witness responded that he and the accused persons were members of the Coalition for Change (C4C), adding that C4C do not have registered members when he was asked if he was a registered member of the party.
The witness confirmed that he parked his vehicle on the road where the deceased was stabbed because he didn’t want to hit the second accused who aggressively crossed before the vehicle. But defense counsel opined that the witness saying the second accused crossed aggressively is a figment of his imagination. Defense counsel noted a controversy in the witness testimony when he said he had parked his vehicle because he didn’t want to hit the accused, but later said he had parked because the second accused was crossing aggressively.
When he was asked if the incident attracted crowd, the witness could not tell the number, but disclosed that they were many people present. When he was asked if he was on the phone when the second accused came to his vehicle, he said the accused had disembarked from the vehicle before he ended the phone call.
Magistrate Sahr Kekura asked for an adjournment because time he said was not in the Court’s favor.
Magistrate Sahr Kekura remanded the accused persons, and he adjourned the matter to Friday 6th August 2021.