By sulaiman.sesay@awokonewspaper.sl
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – The courtroom held its breath as Blessing Cole, a Fourah Bay College student, pointed an unwavering finger at the two men who allegedly robbed her at cutlass-point near Lumley Beach—a night that turned from casual basketball to sheer terror.
Before Magistrate Sahr Kekura at Pademba Road Court No. 1, businessmen Alimamy Sinneh and Alimamy Gbamkey (alias “White Boy”) stood accused of conspiracy and aggravated robbery—a crime that left Cole shaken and her iPhone 11 Pro Max (worth NLe15,000) stolen in a violent swipe.
Cole’s voice trembled as she relived February 23, 2025—a day that started with a friendly basketball game near Golf Club Lumley Beach Road.
“We were about to leave when they attacked me,” she testified. “One held the cutlass. The other grabbed my phone. I screamed, but it happened so fast.”
The prosecution, led by Inspector M.K. Taylor and State Counsel Jouan Bull, presented Cole’s stolen iPhone as evidence—a damning exhibit in a case that hinges on her eyewitness account.
Defense lawyer M.K. Dauda grilled Cole, probing for inconsistencies. “Can you swear it was my clients? Was it dark? Were you sure?”
But Cole stood firm. She had seen their faces. She remembered the cutlass. And most of all—she wanted justice.
With the evidence laid bare, Magistrate Kekura refused bail, sending both accused to Freetown’s Male Correctional Center until the next hearing on April 8, 2025.
For now, Cole waits—hoping the courts will deliver the justice she desperately seeks. SKS/4/4/2025
