Freetown, 8th October 2024 – The brutal murder of 18 security personnel and two civilians during the November 26, 2023 coup has left lasting scars on the families of the victims, especially those of the military chief of operations, Lieutenant Colonel Wilfred Sao Samai.
Ten months after Lieutenant Colonel Samai was killed in a violent ambush at Murray Town Junction, his widow, Susan Samai, tragically passed away on September 26, 2024. Family members revealed that Suzy, as she was affectionately called, collapsed unexpectedly at Connaught Hospital, where she was on a business errand. Sources disclosed that she had battled depression since the death of her husband, who was mercilessly killed in the coup.
The ongoing court martial trials of those involved in the coup have seen significant developments. In the trial of The State vs. Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma and 26 Others, nine individuals were convicted and sentenced to 120 years in prison each for the murder of Lieutenant Colonel Samai. Among those convicted are Staff Sergeant Albert Bassie Conteh, Corporal Thalie Marah, and Lance Corporal Musa Maligie, alias Jambo.
Meanwhile, in a related High Court trial involving The State vs. Amadu Koita and 11 Others, two additional individuals—Amadu Koita and Mohamed Jalloh—were convicted and handed varying prison sentences for their involvement in the murder.
Prosecution attorneys, led by JAK Sesay in the court martial and AJM Bockarie in the High Court, presented overwhelming evidence linking the accused to the ambush that led to Samai’s death. One key witness, identified as Prosecution Witness 30 (PW30), recounted the horrifying events. He testified that he and Samai were en route from Wilberforce Barracks to Cockerill Barracks when they were ambushed. Their vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), resulting in the beheading of his bodyguard, Staff Sergeant Nabieu Marrah. PW30 sustained serious injuries but witnessed Lieutenant Colonel Samai being shot and killed while attempting to crawl to safety.
Another witness, PW25, testified that after Samai’s death, his vehicle was commandeered by Staff Sergeant Idrissa Kallon, one of the convicted, to carry out further operations, including a raid on Pademba Road Prison, where over 2,000 inmates were freed.
Among the masterminds of the coup was Sorieba Mansaray, who was intercepted by loyal troops at Jui as he attempted to flee in Samai’s vehicle. Mansaray, like fellow conspirator Idrissa Ahmid Kamara, alias Leather Boot, died from injuries sustained in a firefight.
These trials also implicated former President Ernest Bai Koroma, who is facing four counts of treason and misprision of treason, as well as two counts of harboring.
Koroma, currently in Nigeria for medical treatment, is accused of sheltering the coup leaders at his residence as part of a plot to overthrow President Julius Maada Bio. Among those allegedly harbored were Idrissa Kamara, fugitive Kabbah Dumbuya, and jailed ASP Ibrahim Sesay.
The former president’s trial, presided over by Magistrate Santigie Bangura, is set to resume on November 18, 2024, one week before the first anniversary of the failed coup.
Despite recent celebrations of his 71st birthday in Nigeria, indicating good health, the former president is expected to return to Sierra Leone to continue his trial.
As the legal proceedings continue, the memory of the violent coup and its devastating aftermath remains fresh, casting a long shadow over the nation’s ongoing quest for justice and constitutional order.
