By Kemo Cham
Twenty-four serving members of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Force (SLAF) were found guilty by a court martial on Friday for their roles in last year’s failed attempt coup.
The judgement passed by a seven-member panel of judges at the end of an 8-month trial saw the convicts sentenced to jail terms ranging from 50 to 120 years.
Those sentenced were part of a group of 27 soldiers charged in January for their role in the incident that saw a group of armed men launched attacks on military and police facilities across the Sierra Leonean capital, Freetown. Over 20 people died in the incident, among them 18 security officers, including 15 soldiers.
Dozens of the prison inmates were freed from the maximum security prison at Pademba Road in Freetown and other police stations, according to the government.
Friday’s verdict comes two weeks after the sentencing of 11 non-military personnel tried by a civilian court for their role in the coup.
The convicts in Friday’s court martial verdict faced a total of 88 count charges, including mutiny, conspiracy to commit mutiny, failure to suppress mutiny, murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and communicating with the enemy.
The trial began on 11th January, 2024, and the 1st accused, Staff Sergeant Alhaji Koroma, immediately pleaded guilty to nine out of 20 counts he was slammed with. He was subsequently sentenced to a 30-year jail term.
One of them, Warrant Officer Class 1 Sitta Dumbuya, 19th accused, was acquitted and discharged at the end of the trial after been found not guilty for all four count charges he faced.
A third man had his trial adjourned due to ill-health. Lance Corporal Abu Bakarr Koroma, the 18th accused, reportedly collapsed in court during trial, due to what medical document shows was epilepsy.
The most senior of them all, Lieutenant Colonel Charles James Yamba, is among several of the convicts who were given the longest jail term of 120 years.
