By Fatima Kpaka
The second accused Sergeant 18171922, Ibrahim Bundu Kamara, alias Amerikin, has on Wednesday, July 3, 2024, revealed that he was tortured by presidential guards who forced him to drink over a liter of urine at State Lodge.
Kamara made the disclosure while testifying in his own defense as second defense witness before Judge Advocate Mark Ngegba and seven board members at the ongoing court-martial hearing which is a fallout from the November 26, 2023 failed coup d’état.
Led in evidence by lawyer I. A. the accused said that he resided at Block A20, Wilberforce Barracks, Freetown, and that he is a serving military personnel. He further recalled the events of 26th November 2023 for which he was before the court.
When a copy of the accused’s statements was shown to him by the defense counsel, he identified it as containing those statements he had made to the Police at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and to military police on the 30th of November 2023.
The accused also told the court that there were certain things in the copy of the same document which he did not tell the police.
In further evidence, he added that he was beaten with a gun and hit on the head with a metal helmet by some presidential guards at State Lodge, and was also given over one liter of urine to drink. He avowed that the additional caution statement which had been tendered by the prosecution as exhibits A. A. B 1 to 17 and the signature on it were not his, adding that the person who interviewed him was Inspector Bona and not Sergeant Johnny as purported by the additional statement. He added that the said additional statement contained so many inconsistencies.
The accused is before the court on the charges of Mutiny, Treason, Murder, Conspiracy and other related offences pointing to the coup.
The accused was shown exhibits ASI which he confirmed to be a photograph of him at the Presidential Lodge on the 26th of November 2023 at around 7:00am after he had been captured and hand-cuffed.
Photos of the accused while being tortures at the Presidential Lodge was also shown to the accused which he identified, noting that it was at those moments he was being given urine to drink and severely being hit using rifles.
When a social media posts of the accused confessing to the allegation was being played in court, he emphasized that he was under duress when the video of him was being shot after his torture by the presidential guards at the Presidential Lodge. He then stated to the court that all of what he said in the video was against his will.
The accused also told the court that he was forced to say what he said on the video and was hand cuffed at the window in an MI room at the Presidential Lodge.
The second accused Sergeant Ibrahim Bundu Kamara alias Amerikin in further evidence led by lawyer Kamara added that on the 26th of November 2023, he was at home sleeping when his phone rang, and he was woken up by his wife at around 3:30 am.
“After I was woken up, I took my phone and saw a missed call from Warrant Officer (WO) 2 Turay who is the Regimental. I in turn called him to know as to why he was calling me,” the accused stated.
He said he got an information from WO Turay that every soldier should gather (Fall in) at 5th Battalion headquarters, Wilberforce, adding that he immediately left for the headquarters. He said that on his way along the street, the assailants with masks on grabbed him from the back while he tried to cross the street and apprehended another person.
The accused went on to state that while he was under arrest at gun-point by the assailants, he saw Koita while the assailants headed to the ammunition dump at Wilberforce Barracks.
He also added that while at the ammunition dump, he saw Corporal Turay alias Korkor, another of the accused, placed under gunpoint at the veranda of the guardroom.
The accused said he saw Captains Senesie, Jalloh and TLK but could not identify the others because they all wore masks.
” I was forced to load the magazines under gunpoint which I did and upon loading the magazine, the 23rd accused person Sergeant Ranger was also brought under gunpoint, and when he saw me, he asked as to what happened and I told him that I was captured by the assailants,” the accused further told the court. He added that after the assailants had brought them to the ammunition dump, he met Corporal M’bawa from Aftec, loading a magazine together with lance corporal Kemoh and Corporal Conteh both of 5th battalion under gunpoint.
According to the accused, while they were loading the gun, he heard captain TLK talking on the phone to someone, adding that captain Jalloh then asked captain TLK as to whom he was talking to and he said it was Colonel R. S. Bockarie.
The accused added that while they were talking, he escaped from them and ran towards the direction of Services Primary School, adding that the distant between the school and the ammunition dump is about 100 meters.
Whiles at the school in hiding the following day, he heard the sound of firing alarm and he then came out from hiding and went back to headquarter and was called by his boss Major Sesay, the Quarter Master (QM) of 5th battalion.
He said that when his boss asked him about where he had been he responded that he had been at the 5th battalion’s headquarters. He said his boss then asked him to wait for him, which he did.
He further said that upon Major Sesay’s arrival, he gave him instructions to go and issue ammunition to soldiers, which he did together with other soldiers.
The accused said while they were issuing the weapon, a man dressed in Mufty arrived, together with M’bawa, asked who sergeant Amerikin was, and he identified himself. He said that the man ordered his arrest and took his Infinix Smart 6 phone.
“I was placed in a vehicle with my hands tied behind my back and taken to the Presidential Lodge but was not told the reason for my arrest,” the witness noted.
While at the Presidential Lodge, the accused said he was searched and at that time he was having Le 1,550 in his pocket together with his documents which he handed over to one Sergeant Kombay but added that since then he had not been able to recover them.
The accused further said that he was later asked by the CID man dressed in Mufti to give his phone password which he did.
The accused said he was taken to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters at Pademba Road in Freetown on the 27th of November 2023 where he made statements.
The accused at the conclusion of his testimony cried of serious stomach pain due to the urine which he testified he had been given to drink at the Presidential Lodge which he added had been affecting him since then. He could not complete his testimony.
In the circumstance, the matter was adjourned to Today 4th July 2024 for further hearing while all the accused persons were remanded in prison