By Fatima Kpaka
Assistant Superintendent of Police Ibrahim Sesay, the 9th accused person in the ongoing treason trial who was Chief Security Officer to former President Ernest Bai Koroma, has on Monday 8th July 2024 testified that he had no knowledge that Sergeant Ibrahim Thollu Bangura alias Tiger a colleague guard for the former president had been involved in planning a coup which prevented him from informing the police.
He made the disclosure while testifying before Justice Komba Kamanda and members of the jury at the treason trial where the 9th accused is charged because the authorities believed he willfully refused to disclose information relating to Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura alias Tiger, and had knowledge of Tiger’s involvement in the failed November 26 coup d’état.
Before his arrest in December of 2023, he was an Assistant Superintendent of Police who joined the police force in 2008 as a presidential guard to former President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma.
Now his children have been asked out of the University because he could not pay their fees and he has been dismissed from the Sierra Leone Police.
After the former President’s tenure ended in 2018, the 9th accused continued working as Chief Security Officer, deputized by a certain Sergeant Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura, alias Tiger, another indicted in relation to the same coup, who was in charge of some military men attached to the former President.
In Examination-in Chief Sesay stated that they were all deployed at the residences of the former President in Makeni and Freetown.
When asked if it is normal for a Chief Security Officer on deployment to assess security needs, the witness answered in the affirmative.
ASP Sesay disclosed that when they went to Makeni, his assessment of the former president’s compound was that it was very big, and that he needed up to 30 guards, but only 26 were available.
He added that before the 1st of December 2023 when he was arrested, there had been only 13 personnel due to the investigation which was being done by the Anti-Corruption Commission on the former President. The reduction he said affected their operations.
Exhibits CC 1 to 16, the voluntary caution statements of the accused, and KK1 to 3 his charge statements were shown to the accused who he recognized both as his dated 2nd December 2024.
The accused confirmed that what is in the statement is largely what he had told the police at the CID, but asserted that certain things had been omitted.
He informed the court that his duties to former President Koroma as Chief Security Officer included ensuring his security for his person, his property, family.
“Myself, Inspector Ibrahim Idriss Sesay, Inspector Amadu Turay, Inspector Haja Jeneba Bangura, Inspector Tiaro Conteh, Sidie Jarawa, Sergeant Emmanuel Salifu Kamara and Inspector Sorieba Mansaray, Warrant Officer (WO) John Swaray, Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Thorlu Bangura, Yapo Sesay and Eddie Conteh were all attached to the former President,” he said.
When asked as to what was the command structure within the ranks of the security personnel, he responded that on the side of the police, he was in charged, while for the military Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura alias Tiger, also standing trial at the court-martial was.
During his employment, at Makeni, the witness said he visited his family once on a while, adding that he last came to Freetown on June 24, 2023, during the elections.
The accused said their shift patterns was detailed 1 and 2, noting that he had three men per team.
The first detail he said included Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura, Inspector Idriss Ibrahim Sesay, Inspector Amadu Turay and sub Inspector Samuel Cole, while the second include himself together with Inspector Sorieba Mansaray, Sergeant Emmanuel Salifu Kamara and Yapo Sesay.
He further revealed that they ran a 24-hour shift, adding that they have a gate house at the residents of the former President approximately one mile from the main house.
ASP Sesay added that the guard who was deployed at the residents of the former President was the 3rd accused Emmanuel Salifu Kamara, the personal assistant to the former President, and that in his absence he performed his duties.
At this point of the proceedings Defense Counsel Ady Macauley showed the diary to the accused which he recognized as the diary they were using as police for their movements at the residents of former President Koroma. The diary he said was at the gate of the former President and he acknowledge making two entries in it.
While the accused was about to tender the said documents, the prosecutor objected to it been tendered on the grounds that Campbell had not laid the foundation that he keeps records of entry at the said residents, but his objection was denied.
The said document was allowed to be produced, tendered and marked as exhibits WWWWWW 1 to 10.
The accused also revealed that there was a corresponding record book of the military controlled by Staff Sergeant Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura.
He added that Inspector Ibrahim Idriss Sesay was in charge of discipline within the rank of the police, while Staff-Sergeant Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura was responsible for same among the military personnel but in their absence, he stepped in.
When asked whether passes were issued to security Security Guards who had been posted to former President Koroma, the accused replied in the affirmative, noting that for the police those who could write did so by themselves but for those who could not write he did for them.
He furthered that for the military they went back to their respective Brigades for passes.
One of the allegations against the accused was that he assisted a certain Alhaji Koroma to broke and enter Pademba Road prison.
When asked about his response to the question during police investigation at CID whether he knew Leatherboot and Amadu Koita Makalo, and the accused in reply said he only knew Leatherboot as a work mate to former President Koroma whiles Koita he came to know on social media but denied knowing Alhaji Koroma.
He read page ten of his statement where it was put to him by the police that he was in constant communication with Koita and Leatherboot in 2019, and the accused denied the allegation.
An allegation was also put to him about making a phone call to Amadu Koita and Leatherboot
ASP Ibrahim Sesay revealed that he was never arrested but was invited by AIG Samadia to the Teckoh Barracks, adding that on his arrival at the Brigade Office, he met 4 well-armed military personnel at the office and one of them directed him to the office of AIG Samadia.
” whiles at his office he asked me where I stayed in Makeni, and I told him, and he said they were going to search my house and told me to also hand over my phone to the police which I did and he further instructed me to enter into one of the vehicles which I did sandwiched by military personnel,” the witness said.
According to the accused he led the accused persons to his house, and while there he told AIG Samadia that nothing of police interest was there, but they went on to search and indeed found nothing of police interest.
“They search my entire house at Makeni, but nothing of police interest was found and at the conclusion was given a piece of make stating that noting of police interest was found which I handed over to AIG Samadia who confirmed same,” the accused explained in tears.
The accused said that they boarded the vehicle which had brought them there and headed back, and he was ordered to remain in the vehicle whiles AIG Samadia stepped out of the vehicle and ordered the officers to take him to Freetown and that when he asked AIG what was his crime, he replied that it was a command from the Inspector General of Police relating to the failed coup on 26th November 2023.
The accused also told the police in his statements that he knew Kabba Dumbuya as former CSO to the Dr Ernest Bai Koroma.
The furthered that he was in detention at the Criminal Investigation Department for the whole of December 2023 up till January 2024 when he was charged to court and all through that time he said he was investigated for the offences of Harboring.
He said that he was never asked any question pertaining Sorieba Mansaray, Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura and Yapo Sesay.
ASP Sesay denied Harboring Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura, alias Tiger, on the 26th of November 2023, adding that he did not see him of the aforementioned day.
The allegation was that he willfully refused to disclose information relating to Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura and the accused said he was never confronted with these allegation during the investigation, adding that he first spoke to the police on the 2nd December 2023 and nothing related to such came up.
He further stated that he had no knowledge of Tiger’s involvement in the alleged coup which prevented him from informing the police.
” Prior to what happened, I did not have any knowledge about the incident of November 26th failed coup and I last saw Ibrahim Thorllu Bangura alias Tiger and Sesay on 23rd November 2023 when they told me that they were going to collect their Pass at Teckoh Barracks and they left their deployment on the 24th November 2023,” the accused stated.
Whiles Sorieba Mansaray, he said he last saw on the 25th of November 2023 when he was on duty and later around 2: 00 am, he went to rest for a while.
The was cross examined later.