“I Used Pepper Spray as Self-Defense” -Military Guard saysBy Alimatu JallohProsecution witness Umaru Bangura attached to the Joint Force Command in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Force (RSLAF) has said that he used a pepper spray to defend himself after he was set upon by members of a gang from which he had arrested two accused persons    Bangura said that he was forced to do so because after he had had arrested the second and third accused after they had entered the of the Sierra Leone Red Cross at Waterloo. He said that the  members of the gang tried to rush at him thus warraning him to spray them with a pepper spray.Bangura made this disclosure when he testified before Magistrate Sahr Kekura of Road Road Court No.1 in the ongoing matter involving three accused persons who had been arrested at the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society Compound in Waterloo.The witness furthered that he then tied the first, second and third accused personsOsman Santigie Kamara, a driver, Alie Koroma and Farah Conteh both motor mechanics who had been accused of Conspiracy, Larceny and other related offences contrary to law.Police records showed that the accused persons, on Friday 27th September, 2023 at the Sierra Leone Red Cross Society Warehouse in Waterloo conspired with unknown persons to steal from a vehicle with registration number AMD 728 a hub, dashboard, vehicle’s fan blade, a wiper and other valuables worth thousands of Leones belonging to the aforementioned institution.

After telling the court that he recognized the complainant as the Security Operations Manager at Francier Security Company, he added that he was on duty on Friday 27th September 2023 at Red Cross Society Warehouse in Waterloo at the guard post with one of the Francier security guards when he heard footsteps and  instructed the guard to moderate the volume of the radio to get a hear where the movements was taking place more clearly in the compound.
The witness said he then saw a flashlight where the vehicles were parked in the compound, and prompted by this he instructed the security guard to close the gate and  admonished him not to allow anyone exit the compound.  .
He said he then tactically approached the spot in the compound from where he had heard suspicious movements and he then noticed fifteen (15) people more at the scene from  among which one ran away soon after he sighted them. He said he saw scotched at one of the vehicles. He said he arrested two of them after  having sprayed them with a pepper spray.
Bangura said the first and second accused were taken to the security post and interrogated there.
At the crime scene, he said he discovered a tool box which contained spanners and a jack.
He said he tied the second and third accused’s’ feet with ropes and went in search of the  others.
” While I was searching the compound, I heard people screaming at the gate “tif!” “tif!”
He said that he took the accused person to the nearest police post and handed them  over to the police, noting that before he did so, he took photographers of them with his Apple mobile phone.
The photos he said were developed into pictures, which he produced and tendered to form part of the court’s records.
He said while they were about to take the accused persons  to the Waterloo Police Station, the security Operations Manager, Amudu Morlai Kamara arrived at the crime scene and the accused were taken to the Regional Ross Road Police Division in Freetown.
“I made a statement and handed a jack, a tool box and a knife to the police as exhibits, ” Mr Bangura concluded his evidence.
Magistrate Sahr Kekura did not admit the accused persons to bail and remanded them at the Male Correctional Centre on Pademba.
Magistrate Kekura then adjourned the matter to the 24^th of  November, 2023 for further cross examination.