By Fatima Kpaka
Assistance Commissioner of Police, Alieu Jalloh has on Monday 6th November 2023, testified before Magistrate Mark Ngegba of Court No1 in a matter currently under preliminary investigation in which a police trainee was allegedly found with 43 wraps of Cannabis Sativa involving a police trainee.
The accused Fengai Babonjo made his second appearance in court and was arraigned for Unlawful Possession of Cannabis Sativa.
According to the particulars of offense, the accused on Saturday 30th September 2023, at the Sierra Leone Police Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy Hastings, in the Waterloo judicial district was found in possession of 43 wraps of Cannabis Sativa contained in white papers weighing 20.5 grams, without lawful authority.
The first prosecution witness Alieu Jalloh, Assistance Commissioner of Police in his testimony said that he is attached to the Sierra Leone Police Peacekeeping and Law Enforcement Academy Hastings as the commandant.
He recognized the accused as a former recruit of the Sierra Leone police and further recalled Saturday 30th September 2023.
He said on that day, he was doing a routing check at the billets to ensure that the recruits go to class after lunch. He said that while he was doing the check around A 7, he met the accused person not in his recruit uniform.
He said that at this point he was shocked at the fact that the recruit was not in uniform heading for class. He said that he stopped the accused and asked him to come to him.
” I then held his shirt. Whiles holding his shirt, I notice he was hiding something on his belly, I immediately called the billet captain for A 7 Dauda who came along with another recruit John and asked them to arrest the accused which they did”, he said.
The witness said he then did an on the spot search during the process he discovered a bag tied around the accused’s waist, and when he opened the bag and saw a quantity of white papers containing cannabis sativa.
He said the accused was taken to the guard post and that along the way he cautioned him in respect of the wraps and he told him that it was “Jamba” and that they went to the guard post and did a thorough search the accused there. He said there were 43 wraps and one lighter. He added that the matter was then transferred to the Trans National Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) together with the accused and exhibit for further investigation.
The accused had no legal representation in court and therefore could not cross examine the witness.
Magistrate Ngegba refused bail and remanded the accused in prison and the matter was adjourned to the 20th November 2023.