By: Audrey Raymonda John
Alfred Fonah and twenty other residents of Makeni who were arrested in connection to the 10th August incident have open their defence .
The defendants were sometimes this year arraigned before magistrate Mark Ngagba of Pademba Road Court No.1 for riotous conduct, disorderly behavior and other related charges.
Led in his defense by defense counsel M Baratay, the defendant said on the 10th of August he was at No. 12 Station Road Makeni when he got arrested by the police.
He said before his arrest it was raining and he was inside his room listening to new concerning what was happening in the country.
The defendant said he was inside when he had a family member who was playing mercury shouting.
‘ My lord upon hearing the shout I come out to see what is happening’, he stated.
Narrating his ordeal further, the defendant said when he came out he discovered that the boy was shouting because of the bit he won.
He said he was still standing out said when he saw the police throwing cannisters to dispatch crowd of people protesting.
‘My lord I fled back to my room to escape the gas of the cannister’, he said.
Explaining further in his defence, the defendant said he was in his room when he heard someone knocking on his door.
He said he asked who was knocking but did not get respond.
The defendant said after sometime he decided to open the door and to his dismay saw three police officers who put him under gun point and matched him on the street.
He said whiles going with the police he tried to inquired as to what he does but on one respond.
The defendant said he was taken into a police vehicle in the presence of his family who were crying.
The witness said when recording his statement, the police who was in charge said he is not in position to write what he wanted to say, but he will have privilege to do so in court.
He further disclosed after his arrest, the police took his phone and the sum of eight thousand new leones.
The defendant said he statement was obtained from him at Robaneh Police Station Makeni and later he was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department in Freetown.
Testing his evidence in cross examation by state Counsel YI Sesay he said statement was obtained from him in Freetown by a police officer called Samai JM.
The second defendant Alhaj Mohamed Mansaray who resides Makabo said he was at home when he was forceful arrested on allegations of riot .
The eight defendant Ibrahim Kanu when docked by defense to open his defense narrated in a sick mood he was arrested at Masimera Village close to Makeni.
He said on the 10th of August 2022 he was at home very sick and decided to seek for help form his friend Ibrahim Tholley when he uncounted the police .
In cross examation by state counsel YI Sesay the eight defendant said it take two miles from Masimera to Makeni.
The eight defendant said during investigation, he tried to tell the police that he went to Makeni to ask for assistant from his friend but they refused to listen.
Defense counsel M. Baratay informed the Bench that his client is sick with a communicable diseases and that he should be taken care of by the doctor of the correctional facility .