By Hassan Gbassay Koroma
Seibura Bangura, a staff member at Voice of Peace and Development (VOPAD) Radio in Waterloo, testified during cross-examination that on the night of journalist Samuel Brima Mattia’s murder, the station manager, Joseph Lamin, urged him to leave work and go home.
Bangura, who works in the charging section of the radio station, is responsible for charging electrical appliances, including phones, as the Waterloo community lacks electricity.
During cross-examination by defense attorney Musa Beretay, who represents Lamin, the first accused, Bangura was asked about his observations on the night of January 15, 2025, when Mattia was allegedly killed.
“According to your testimony, on January 15, you worked from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. When you left at 10 p.m., did you see a dead body at the radio station? And when you resumed work on January 16 and opened the station, did you find a dead body?” Attorney Beretay questioned.
In response, Bangura stated that he worked from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m. and did not witness any altercation or see a dead body before leaving. The next morning, he returned to work and also did not find a body at the station.
He further testified that while at work on January 16, some family members of the deceased came searching for him, but he informed them that he had not seen Mattia that morning.
Later, with police intervention, the office door of the deceased was forcefully opened, but the room was empty.
“On January 16, I was taken to the police station along with the first accused. While in detention, I was informed that the remains of Samuel Brima Mattia had been found,” Bangura told the court.
Last Wednesday, police prosecutor Inspector Kadie M. Taylor led Bangura as the first prosecution witness in the preliminary investigation (PI) trial. However, due to the absence of defense lawyers, cross-examination was postponed to the following Friday.
At the resumed hearing, Lamin was represented by four lawyers, led by Attorney Beretay. The other two accused were unrepresented, and the third accused cross-examined the witness himself.
During his cross-examination, the third accused asked Bangura whether he had ever seen him with Lamin or at the VOPAD Radio station. Bangura replied that he had never seen the third accused with Lamin nor had he ever seen him at the station.
Former VOPAD Radio Station Manager Joseph Mendel Lamin, Morlai Kamara, and Umaru Timbo are currently under preliminary investigation by Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Court No. 1 on felony charges.
Lamin, 37, Kamara, 39, and Timbo, 35, have each been charged with conspiracy to commit murder.
Samuel Brima Mattia, who was head of programming at VOPAD Radio 96.5 FM in Waterloo, east of Freetown, was brutally murdered. His body was discovered near the radio station on January 16, 2025.
The case was adjourned to February 26.
