By Mamajah Jalloh
On Wednesday, November 20, 2024, seven individuals—Ali Jaffal, Abdul Jaffal, Abdallah Jaffal, Mohamed Jaffal, Abass Antar, Naif Antar, and Hassan Jaffal—appeared for the eighth time before Magistrate Santigie Bangura of Pademba Road Court No. 2. They face a seven-count charge, including allegations of wounding, assault, affray, throwing missiles, and disorderly behavior.
The charges stem from an incident on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at the Young Sports Club (YSC) facility on Wilkinson Road, Freetown. Prosecutors allege that the accused maliciously wounded Adam Hamdan and Mohamed Aroune, assaulted them, and engaged in behavior intended to incite fear in the public. The indictment further accuses the defendants of throwing stones and sticks during the altercation and behaving disorderly.
The accused pleaded not guilty to all charges during their initial court appearance.
During the latest proceedings, State Prosecutor Yusif Isaac Sesay, Esq., led the testimony of the prosecution’s ninth witness, Abass Kazam, a diplomat and businessman who serves as a consultant for Guinea-Bissau in Sierra Leone. Kazam testified that he was familiar with all the accused individuals and recounted events leading up to and during the April 6 incident.
He recalled receiving a call from Hassan Jaffal informing him about a fight involving the second accused, Abdul Jaffal, at the YSC complex. Upon arriving at the scene, Kazam described encountering chaos, with people running in different directions. At the basketball court, however, he observed confusion but no active fighting.
According to Kazam, police officers, including LUC Mohamed Turay from Lumley Police Division, arrived shortly after and ordered the gates to be closed. Kazam successfully pleaded for women and children to be allowed to leave the premises, and his request was granted.
The LUC then demanded that those involved in the fight surrender. Kazam confirmed that five of the accused persons were present and were handed over to the police. Later, the fifth and sixth accused were also brought forward. Kazam stated that an Operational Support Division (OSD) officer handed a pistol to the LUC, though he was unsure of its origin.
Following the events at YSC, the accused were taken to the Lumley Police Station, where statements were recorded.
Magistrate Santigie Bangura adjourned the matter to November 27, 2024, for further hearings. The accused remain on bail pending the continuation of the trial.
