AWOKO REPORT AS SEEN ON JULY 29, 2007

Leatherboot’ 5 others charged to court

Police in Bo have charged to court the four personal body guards of the All Peoples Congress (APC) Presidential flagbearer, plus the two Operational Security Division (OSD) personnel attached to the APC leader.

The five suspects, Idrissa Kamara aka leather  boot, Sorieba  Mansaray, Amadu Katta, Mohamed Mansaray, OSD 10025 Emmanuel Kargbo and 7692 Osman Mansaray ,were charged on three counts of conspiracy to commit a felony, wounding with intents to maim, robbery with aggravation of personal belongings.

Explaining to the media yesterday at Police Headquarters about the outcome of the investigations in Bo, the Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police in charge of crime services, Kadie Fakondo read out the police report stating that, on July 22, 2007 Tom Nyuma and four of his colleagues returning from Kailahun checked at the Bo country lodge guest house at around mid night.

Whilst in the guest house Finance Minister, John Benjamin also booked in the same guest house between 1 and 2am Monday 23 July.

Mrs Fakondo also read out that, on that same Monday between 3 and 4am, the APC leader Ernest Bai Koroma and his entourage all in their party colours arrived at the same guest house, and on their arrival they saw a relative of Tom Nyuma, Phillip Jimmy thus suspecting that Tom Nyuma was around.

She stated that it coincided that Tom was to leave for Freetown and it happened that Phillip Jimmy woke Tom up to be ready for the journey to Freetown and it was at that period that Leather boot and others attacked Tom Nyuma, beat him up, and tied him.

At that material time she read, the LUC Bo, FUK Daboh was immediately summoned to the scene who untied him and took him to the Bo police station, where Tom made a report of assault.

She read out that according to Ernest Bai Koroma, one of the OSD officers attached to him was in his own room when he heard noise at the door of Ernest Koroma’s room.

He came out and met Tom Nyuma outside and believed that Tom was about to assassinate Ernest Koroma.

The other OSD security she read out was also around with a weapon and according to him, Tom Nyuma was about to disarm him when in the process he hit Tom with the weapon and it was then that Ernest Koroma came out and called the police.

The investigation report stated that when the police visited the scene, they searched Tom Nyuma’s vehicle which was found opened.

A senior police officer Yetehyeteh and one of  Ernest’s security made the search where 50 live rounds of  ammunition was claimed to have been found by the security.

Tom Nyuma claimed that he lost a samsung digital camera worth $900, a digital video camera valued at $700, lap top $3,000 a digital voice recorder worth $79 and personal clothes.

The police said the assassination attempt on Ernest Bai Koroma was seriously under investigation.