August 16, 2016 By Joseph S. Margai
Magistrate Abdul Carew of the Kambia Magistrate Court last Thursday remanded two bike riders who allegedly beat up Rev. Francis Kanu Mansaray, a vehicle examiner attached to the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority’s (SLRSA) in Kambia, northern Sierra Leone.
According to the particulars of offence, the two bike riders – Ibrahim Sorie Madowa and Osman Yealie Sankoh – on 21 July, 2016 incited some of their colleagues to beat up the complainant, causing him grievous bodily harm.
They were charged with three counts of incitement, bodily assault and conspiracy, contrary to the laws of Sierra Leone.
Detective Police Constable Mohamed Sesay of the Criminal Investigation Department in the Kambia Police Division, said while testifying that on the day of the incident, Rev. Mansaray arrived at the Police Station and reported that he had been beaten up by a group of bike riders led by the two accused persons.
“He was having wounds on his body, so I prepared a medical form for him. He was admitted at the hospital and was discharged on 23 July, 2016. He came and tendered his medical form to the police,” said the Detective Sesay.
He told the court that after taking statement from the complainant and his witnesses, he went to the scene of crime together with a private photographer and observed that the said scene was a nearby bush.
“Having made all efforts to get the accused persons and to no avail, we issued a warrant of arrest for them. On 5 August, 2016 we executed the arrest. Separate statements were taken in Krio and the recorded statements were interpreted and read out to them,” he further testified.
Meanwhile, Rev. Mansaray told the court that on the day of the incident, he arrested motor bike rider Osman Yealie Sankoh, whose motorbike was not registered and licenced.
“I asked him to go with me to the SLRSA office in Kambia so that he could register and licence his motor bike, but he refused. He then called Ibrahim Sorie Madowa, who happens to be their chairman. The Chairman had a private discussion with him,” he explained.
He added that after their private discussion, Sankoh told him to climb atop the motor bike. “When I climbed atop the bike, the rider took off in terrific speed. I turned to Ibrahim Sorie Madowa and saw him making a gesture to the other bike riders, asking them to follow us. I was taken to a nearby bush where all of them started kicking and hitting me until I was hopeless. They ran away when they saw my Road Safety Corps who were also chasing the motorbike,” he narrated.
He said he was then taken to the Police Station where he was given a medical form and later admitted at the Kambia Government Hospital.
Also, an eye witness, who identified himself as Anthony Abdul Raman Sesay, told the court that while coming from his house, about 50 metres away, he saw a group of unknown commercial motorbike riders holding helmets, running toard a particular direction.
“As I approached further, I heard someone shouting for help and I saw unknown bike riders beating him up. I immediately saw two members of the Road Safety Corps who were also approaching the scene and I knew they were going to rescue the vehicle examiner. As I continued to go further, I saw Osman Yealie Sankoh and I made a report to the Police,” he said.
A member of the Road Safety Corps (RSC), Ibrahim Gibson Fofanah, also told the court that they were going to the Kambia lorry park to arrest an unregistered and unlicenced motorbike, noting that Rev. Mansaray was sent ahead of them since he was in a civilian dress.
“He was sent ahead because if the defaulting riders see us in uniform, they would run away. The rider, Osman YealieSankoh, who was riding an unregistered and unlicensed motorbike, was having two passengers who were not putting on helmets,” he explained.
He narrated a similar story as that of the complainant and stated that,“I saw Ibrahim Soria Madowa making a gesture to other riders, urging them to chase the bike carrying the complainant. We chased them and by the time we discovered where they took the complainant, we saw the vehicle examiner by the side of a gutter, groaning in pain. I saw wounds all over his body,” he told the court.
Magistrate Carew remanded the two accused as he adjourned the matter.