Ahmed Tejan Salif a Police Superintendent has given evidence that Mohamed Jalloh together with seven pairs of military uniforms and other items of police interest were found at the Minister of Youth Bai Mahmoud Bangura’s resident in Freetown.
Led in evidence by the lead state prosecutor Ahmed G. M. Bockarie, Superintendent Salif identified himself as the acting Local Unit Commander (LUC) attached to the Mountain Police Division at Hill Station.
Salif recalled being on duty on December 29, 2023, when he received a called to join in a raid to arrest Mohamed Jalloh who is the second accused in the ongoing treason trial involving Amadu Koita Makalu and eleven others over a failed attempted coup in Freetown on November 26, 2023.
Salif told the court that when they approached the location, he met Jalloh and tapped him on his shoulder and told him to lead them to the premises of the Bai Mahmoud which he did.
Upon their arrival, he said he introduced himself to Bai Mahmoud and told them that they were there to conduct a search based on an intelligence they received that some military men were hiding in his house. Bai Mahmoud welcomed them and told them to go ahead with their search.
Salif revealed that during their search in the house, they found assorted military materials that were of police interest in the room that Jalloh was living and when they asked Jalloh about the items he said they belonged to his brother Sillah who works at Wilberforce.
According to Salif the items include; seven military uniform shirts, seven military uniform trousers, two military caps, one military camp bed, one military bag, one pair military boots, two black handsets, one voter ID card bearing Jalloh’s name, one military belt and one military hat.
The detective furthered that upon seeing the said military items, they, asked Jalloh if he was a military personnel and he replied no. Salif said it was at that stage that Bai Mahmoud asked Jalloh if he was denying that he is soldier.
He said the former Youth minister added that Jalloh was even on duty and was with the team of officers that repealed the attackers on Sunday November 26, 2023.
Salif said Jalloh then began crying profusely and told Bai Mahmoud that he was afraid when he saw the team of police officers that was why he said he was not a soldier.
The superintendent said they arrested both Jalloh and Bai Mahmoud together with the items they discovered and took them to the CID headquarters in Freetown.
He said all the items were handed over to the CID but they could not trace both the seventh and tenth items in court.
During Cross examination by lawyer Ady Macaulay Salif said when asked how long he has been in the police replied that he had been in the force for twenty-three years and has acquired a lot of experience.
Salif also confirmed in court that there were no signatures on the statement of Bai Mahmoud and Jalloh that was tendered as exhibits A2.
Bockarie at this point objected that both the documents exhibit A1 and A2 are the same.
Africanus Sesay who is the lead defence representing Bai Mahmoud renewed his application for bail to be granted to his client on medical grounds.
But Bockarie objected swiftly saying that Justice Kamanda had already ruled on the said application.
Sesay argued that the said ruling Bockarie was referring to was for his client to be arrested and transferred to the medical facilities at the Male Correctional Centre in Freetown which has already been followed. He however pointed that since his transfer to the Correctional Centre Bai Mahmoud’s health has not improved rather it keeps depreciating by the day.
“He always comes to court with bandages wrapped around him,”
“Most times it is very difficult to recognise him in court,” Africanus said.
Justice Kamanda ruled that the defence did not follow his earlier ruling that Bai Mahmoud must be given an appropriate treatment at the Correctional Centre.
He admonished the defence to give the Centre the entire ruling for Bai Mahmoud to have appropriate treatments.
He equally admonished the defence counsel for Bai Mahmoud to adequately inform the head of the Correctional Centre about his earlier ruling.
