By Our Port Loko District Correspondent

It is almost one year ago when news of the excruciating pain was relayed to the Family of the young and enterprising 32-year-old Samawa Shamie that he has been brutally murdered under the instructions of Helen Kargbo Kawa with the allegations that he had wanted to steal an EDSA Metre from her Residence in Lungi, Kaffu Bullum Chiefdom – Port Loko District. Samawa’s remains were discovered along Hassan Street and Rotifunk Road in a brutalized manner.

His Limbs were broken, and pens nailed, after what is believed to be some Acid had been poured over it. The Police in Lungi investigated the Incident and ended up charging Morlai Sillah and Helen Kargbo Kawa with two separate Counts of Murder and Incitement to Commit Murder Contrary to Law.

The Matter was Prosecuted by Chief Inspector James Diawo of the Legal and Justice Department at the Magistrate Court in Lungi, which is being presided over by Magistrate Edward R. Kanu. A total of 3 Witnesses including one Factual, testified in Court. But the Lawyer I K Bangura who represented the 2nd Accused– Helen Kargbo Kawa, made a ‘No Case Submission’ which was replied to by the Police Prosecutor – Chief Inspector James Diawo.

The Prosecution reiterated the fact that the 2nd. Accused Person was in Court for the Offence of Incitement to Commit Murder contrary to Law, and that the Particulars of Offence indicated that the Accused – Helen Kargbo Kawa, did incite the 1st.

Accused Morlai Sillah to murder Samawa Shamie on Tuesday 30th. January 2024. He told the Court that the Law of Incitement is committed when someone tries to make another Person do something bad in the eyes of the Law. He said the Offence of Incitement is complete whether the intended target is carried out or not.

The Police Prosecutor then referenced the 3 Witnesses led in a bid to prove a case against the 2nd. Accused Person. He mentioned the 1st. Prosecution Witness – Detective Sergeant 755 Albert Muctarr Thullah as a formal witness who investigated the matter, obtained statements from the Witnesses and further witnessed the Autopsy Examinations at Connaught Hospital in Freetown. He said it was also Detective 755 Albert Muctarr Thullah who obtained Voluntary Caution Statement from the 2nd. Accused Person and finally had cause to charge her with the offence of ‘Incitement’ contrary to Law.

Chief Inspector James Diawo said the 2nd. Witness for the Prosecution – Sulaiman Sesay who lives at Swarray Deen Street / Rotifunk Lungi, recalled the day in question and was also able to recognised both Accused Persons in this matter. He witnessed the Scene where the 2nd. Accused ordered ‘her men’ to beat up the now deceased – Samawa Shamie.

He said the beating up of the now deceased, occurred at the Residence and physical presence of the 2nd. Accused Person. The Police Prosecutor therefore referred to the version in which the Witness said, – he personally advised her to tell her to stop beating up Samawa – a piece of advice she did not adhered to. The witness was quoted to have testified that it was in his full view when the 2ND. Accused Person brought out some Acid to be used on Samawa Shamie.

Umaru Sulaiman Kargbo is the Scene of Crime officer at the Lungi Police Division and was the 3rd. to testified in Court. He actually visited all the relevant Scenes relating to this incident including the Residence of the 2nd. Accused Person, the Government Hospital in Lungi and the Connaught Hospital in Freetown where the Autopsy was done on the remains of Samawa Shamie.

The Photographs obtained in those Scenes were developed into Pictures which have already been tendered in Court to form part of the evidence adduced in this Case. ‘Your Worship, the Prosecution has fulfilled all the Legal Requirements to establish a case of Incitement against the Second Accused Person. The Evidence so far adduced is sufficient, Consistent and never at variance with the Charge. Besides, the Evidence was never discredited under Cross Examination. Your Worship, the Prosecution is therefore very much hopeful that you will make use of your conscience to Discontinance the – No Case Submission of the Lawyer for the 2nd. Accused Person.  You should rather order that the 2nd. Accused Person indeed has a case to answer at the High Court’ –  Chief Inspector James Edward Diawo Submitted.

The reply of the Prosecution was upheld by Magistrate Edward R Kanu who has now Committed the Matter to the High Court in Port Loko. It is now to be determined by Hon. Justice Abdul Sherriff.

Samawa Shamie was born on 10th. September 1987 in the North West District of Kambia. His Parents relocated to Lungi in the Kaffu Bullom Chiefdom during the Civil Conflict in Sierra Leone in 1996 where he was enrolled as a Pupil of the Bullom Ahmadiyya Muslim Secondary School.

He later attended the Njala University – Makonde to obtain a Diploma in Agriculture – a dream he could not accomplish due to a nervous breakdown.  Family Members, Friends and Sympathizers of Samawa Shamie are pleased in knowing that the Matter has eventually been Committed to the High Court.

They are all long longing for the dispensation of justice. Isata Wuya Bangura is a mother of twins and the wife of late Samawa Shamie. She recalled Shamie as a caring husband who was very fond of his Siblings – Davida and Jean Shamie. She said life has become extremely difficult for her to cope since the murder of her husband.

Even though the wife and other Family Members are perturbed over the manner in which the 2nd. Accused is still freely perambulating as if she is above the Law. But most of those who are following up the Court Proceedings are optimistic that Justice will be dispensed in this Matter.

‘There is hardly anything much more painful than to see someone who is supposed to be in detention freely roaming with sarcastic utterances against the relatives of a Victim as in the case of Samawa Shamie’.  The Family of the Samawa Shamie is of the firm belief that the soul of this young man will only be able to rest in Peace, after the matter is properly determined and the Culprits penalised accordingly if found guilty as charged’ – the wife sobs in tears with her twins watching at her endlessly.