Magistrate Abdul Carew of the Kambia Magistrate Court on Thursday 11th August, 2016 remanded two commercial motorbike riders for brutalizing the Sierra Leone Road Safety Authority's (SLRSA) Vehicle Examiner, Rev. Francis Kanu-Mansaray, in Kambia District, Northern Sierra Leone.
The two were arraigned on three count charges of incitement, bodily assault and conspiracy contrary to law.
According to the particulars of offence, the two commercial motorbike riders; Ibrahim Sorie Madowa and Osman Yealie Sankoh on 21st July 2016 incited their colleagues to beat up the Vehicle Examiner leaving him with pain and serious bodily harm.
Testifying at the Kambia Magistrate Court, Detective Police Constable Mohamed Sesay attached to the Criminal Investigations Department, Kambia Police Division, revealed that he was on duty on Thursday 21st July 2016 when Rev. Francis Kanu-Mansaray came to the station and reported the matter and that due to the injuries he sustained, “I prepared and issued a medical form to him for which he was admitted at the Kambia Government Hospital. He was discharged on 23rd July 2016 after which he tendered his medical form to the police.”
Detective Police Constable (DPC) Mohamed Sesay continued that after taking statements from the complainant and his witnesses, they, including a private photographer, went to the scene that is a bush.
“After all efforts to get hold of the accused persons but to no avail, the police issued a warrant of arrest for them. On 5th August 2016, we executed the arrest after which separate statements were recorded from the two accused persons in Krio, interpreted and read out to them,” he informed the court.
The complainant, Rev. Francis Kanu-Mansaray, told the court that while on duty to impound unlicensed and unregistered motorbikes on Thursday 21st July, 2016, he arrested Osman Yealie Sankoh for riding an unregistered and unlicensed motorbike.
He revealed, “I asked him to accompany me to the SLRSA office in Kambia to register and license his motorbike but he refused. He then called Ibrahim Sorie Madowa, the Bike Riders' Chairman in the district who asked the rider to have a private discussion with. After their private discussion, Osman Yealie Sankoh told the Vehicle Examiner to onboard the motorbike and rode off in terrific speed. When I turned round, I saw Ibrahim Sorie Madowa beckoning to the other bike riders to follow us. I was taken to a bush where all of them assaulted and manhandled me by kicking and hitting me until I became helpless. They ran away when they saw my colleagues chasing them.”
An eyewitness, who identified himself as Anthony Abdul Raman Sesay, told the court that whilst coming from his house, about 50 meters away, he saw a group of unknown commercial motorbike riders wearing helmets rushing to a particular direction.
Anthony Abdul Raman Sesay continued, “as I approached the scene, I heard someone being beaten by unknown riders shouting for help. I also saw two staff of the Road Safety Corp who were also approaching the scene attempting to rescue the Vehicle Examiner.”
Another witness, Road Safety Corp (RSC) Ibrahim Gibson Fofanah, told the court that they were going to the Kambia Lorry Park to seize unregistered and unlicensed motorbikes but that Rev. Francis Kanu-Mansaray went ahead because he was in mufti to prevent the riders escaping and that the accused, Osman Yealie Sankoh, who was riding an unregistered and unlicensed motorbike, was carrying two passengers without helmets for which he was arrested.
Magistrate Abdul Carew remanded the two accused and adjourned the matter to 22nd August 2016.
Meanwhile, the SLRSA office in Kambia has confirmed that four motorbikes were carted away from their office by unknown riders who are yet to be identified.
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