COURT MARTIAL TRIAL
(EPISODE 6)
18th September 2024.
Who financed Juju ceremony to overthrow President Bio?
I. Our apologies for the long break for almost three weeks! We observed the break in order to allow other stories of national interests to make the headlines. However, we are back with the EPISODES on the just concluded court martial trial involving the state versus Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma and 26 others.
II. Today, we will look at the issue “Who Financed the Juju Ceremony to Overthrow President Bio?”.
III. In the just concluded trial, all 27 accused persons were jointly charged with CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MUTINY. To prove the offence, the prosecution, among a plethora of evidence, tendered PICTORIAL EVIDENCE, identifying some accused persons and fugitives who had participated in the JUJU CEREMONY at MAPAKI Village near Makeni City in preparation to overthrow President Julius Maada Bio.
IV. The pictorial evidence contained SEVERAL PHOTOS clearly identifying the said accused persons and fugitives and also depicting the various scenes of the Juju Ceremony.
V. During the trial, the said accused persons were confronted with the pictorial evidence. They NEITHER CHALLENGED the evidence nor denied their participation in the JUJU CEREMONY.
VI. While the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 13th, and 18th accused persons denied that the purpose of the ceremony was to make preparations to overthrow President Bio, the 1st and 6th accused persons admitted that the ceremony was done to FORTIFY their bodies against GUNSHOTS in preparation to unseat the President.
VII. In their voluntary caution statements and records of interview, both the 1st and 6th accused persons disclosed that all the critical battle requirements ahead of the coup, including the conduct of the Juju ceremony, were financially sponsored by Amadu Koita. However, whether Koita was also AIDED FINANCIALLY to do what he did was not an issue before the Court Martial then. Perhaps this issue will be dealt with in future trials at the High Court or the Court Martial.
VIII. Amadu Koita was one of the architects of the bloody November 26 Coup. He was recently slain with over one and a half-century jail terms after being convicted of treasonable offenses committed in the wake of said coup.
IX. Below are excerpts of what the accused persons who participated in the JUJU CEREMONY ADMITTED TO and/or DENIED:
A. The first accused was Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma. He pleaded “guilty” to some counts and “not guilty” to other counts. Seen in the photo with Idrissa Ahmid Kamara, alias Leather Boot, Amadu Koita, and others, the 1st accused admitted participating in the ceremony. He said that in October 2023, Amadu Koita called and informed him that he [Amadu Koita] planned to unseat President Bio. He revealed that a week later, Koita called him again and requested him to travel to the Mapaki Village herbalist, Pa Sesay, for a traditional ceremony/charm that would fortify him in the operation [Coup]. He said that Koita disclosed to him that some of his colleagues had already undergone the ceremony. He disclosed that the next day he visited the herbalist and then underwent the ceremony. “On completion of the ceremony, Pa Sesay gave me a herbalist bracelet and clothes and assured me that nothing would happen to me during the operation,” the 1st accused revealed.
B. The 3rd accused was Staff Sergeant Bassie Conteh. He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts. Seen in the photo with the 4th, 9th, 13th, and 18th accused persons, the 3rd accused admitted visiting the herbalist with the aforementioned accused persons. He said that he had visited the herbalist for rituals. He added that he had participated in the ceremony for the purpose of ending a court case brought against him in August 2023 by one Zainab. He recalled that at the village, the 9th Accused disclosed to him that his wife (the 9th Accused’s wife) was still going after his life after their separation. He denied visiting the herbalist for the purpose of making preparations to overthrow President Bio. “I am surprised that the 6th accused admitted to police that the reason for their trip was to fortify themselves and to participate in the coup,” the 3rd accused said.
The 4th accused was Staff Sergeant Abu Dauda. He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts. Seen in the photo with the 3rd, 9th, 13th, and 18th accused persons, the 4th accused admitted visiting the herbalist with the others. “I went to the herbalist with the 6th Accused and others for protection,” the 4th Accused said. He revealed that after the ceremony, he was given a LIQUID SUBSTANCE, which he would use whenever he was deployed with the ECOWAS STANDBY FORCE. He denied participating in the ceremony for the purpose of unseating the president. “I am surprised that the 6th Accused added to the police that Amadu Koita provided money for the trip. That is not true,” the 4th accused said.
D. The 6th accused was Corporal Edward Koroma, alias Smallie. He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts. Though not clearly identified in the photo with the 3rd, 4th, 9th, 13th, and 18th acussed persons, the 6th accused admitted visiting the herbalist ahead of the bloody coup. He revealed that six of them initially went to perform the rituals. “On arrival at the village, we were ushered in by an ex-military man called Chuck Chuck. The ceremony was performed in the night, and in the following morning, a BLACK GOAT was sacrificed to mark the completion of the ceremony,” the 6th accused disclosed. He further disclosed that at the village, the 4th Accused confirmed to him that he [the 4th Accused] had received money from Amadu Koita with regards to the expenses of the ceremony. “And after the ceremony, the 4th accused called Amadu Koita. The phone call was on loud speaker. I had Amadu Koita promise to send money for all six of us,” the 6th accused revealed.
E. The 9th accused was Staff Sergeant Idrissa Kallon. He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts. Identified in the photo with the 3rd, 4th, 13th, and 18th accused persons, the 9th accused admitted visiting the herbalist. He said that he had visited the herbalist for spiritual protection. He denied participating in the ceremony for the purpose of unseating President Bio.
F. The 18th accused was Lance Corporal Abu Bakarr Koroma, alias Opanday. He pleaded “not guilty” to all the counts. Identified in the photo with the 3rd, 4th, 9th, and 13th accused persons, the 18th accused admitted visiting the herbalist. However, he raised the defensecessful of insanity. He was successful and was discharged.
NOTE:
Not all the 27 accused persons visited the MAPAKI VILLAGE herbalist for the JUJU CEREMONY to UNSEAT President Bio. However, the prosecution adduced other satisfactory evidence to show that all the accused persons were part of the grand scheme to overthrow the president, with the exceptions of the 19th accused (who was acquitted and discharged) and the 18th accused (who was discharged on the successful defense of innocence).
Major Yayah Brima,
Media Operations Officer,
Headquarters, Joint Force Command, Cockerill Barracks,
Freetown.
Phone/WhatsApp: 078 452 876
