By Audrey Raymonda John

The Eight prosecution witness (PW8) in the ongoing murder trial of the Skye Bank Manager, Dr. Mohamed Ali Bangura has on Tuesday 17th January testified on oath before Principal Magistrate Mark N’gegba of Pademba road Court No.1.

Led in evidence by State Prosecutor Aruna Jalloh Doctor Mohammed Ali Bangura attached to Shuman and Connaught hospitals said he recalled on the 17th October 2022 he was on duty at Shuman hospital when at around 6am-7am a nurse on duty, Augusta reported an emergency that a patient has been brought in at the intensive care unit (ICU) and was on a stretcher.

PW8 said that he rushed to the ICU and started examining the patient’s heartbeat but did not hear anything, adding that he used a phone light to check the eyes and discovered that the eyes were dilated meaning there was no reaction of the eyes to the light and therefore no sign of life.

He furthered that he tried cardiac massage and there was foaming coming from the mouth, adding that he then took tissue and wiped the foaming and at that point concluded the patient had lost her life.

PW8 furthered that he instructed the nurses to take the corpse out of the unit and that after two minutes; he came back down stairs to check if they had taken the corpse to the mortuary when he met the remains of the deceased being loaded and then returned to his office.

Doctor Bangura said he didn’t record the incident because there was nothing to do.

During cross examination by defense counsel Roland Wright, Dr. Bangura was asked to describe the symptoms of pulmonary oedema but replied the defence counsel that he was not in court to describe that.

He admitted that he understands the concept of clumping when asked by the defence counsel, but when asked if clumping could result to blood in the lungs, he replied that air is in the lungs not blood. After some objections were raised by both counsels, Doctor Mohamed Bangura described the pulmonary oedema as an accumulation of water in the lungs as a result of cardiac failure, infection and more.

At this juncture, Magistrate Mark N’gegba raised concern that the defense counsel and the state prosecutor have to put their house in order after so many questions were imposed on PW8 and was unable to respond.

The matter was adjourned to the 23rd January 2023 for further hearing.

It could be recalled that the General Manager of Skye Bank, 46yrs old Ikubolaje Nicol is standing preliminary trial for murder before Magistrate Mark N’gegba for allegedly murdering his girlfriend Sinnah Kai Kargbo who was an employee with the aforementioned bank.