By Mohamed Kai

The third prosecution witness, who is also the victim’s mother, Aminata Bangura, disclosed that Prophet Emmanuel Oluseji Bankole contacted her on mobile phone, requesting for her daughter’s bride price.

In her testimony to the court, the witness, Aminata Bangura further said that her son, Junior Michael, was living with the accused for a spiritual deliverance following frequent demonic attacks.

She said, on one particular occasion, the accused contacted her on mobile phone, informing her to meet him at his residence.

She also said, upon her arrival, the accused told her that he has a vision for her daughter.

The witness explained that, the accused also told her, her daughter has a gift over her life, but that she needed a spiritual deliverance and pleaded for the victim to stay with him.

According to her, whilst the victim was living with the accused, he contacted her on mobile phone, informing her to meet him at his residence. Upon her arrival, she explained, the accused asked her to check the victim whether she was a virgin.

The victim’s mother further explained that, when she enquired from the victim, the victim responded that, she lost her virginity in the residence of Prophet Emmanuel Bankole.

She informed the well-attended court that, the accused went further to ask about her daughter’s bride price, but that, since she could not understand the meaning of bride price, she said, she enquired from her friend Betty, who suggested a pregnancy test be carried out on the victim. 

“When I conducted the pregnancy test”, the witness continued, she said she observed that her daughter was pregnant; but that despite she exerted pressure on her to disclose the individual, the victim refused to do so.

She said, since she wanted her daughter to continue her education, she aborted the pregnancy and allowed the victim to continue to stay with the accused person.

The witness also told the court that, on another occasion, the accused contacted her on mobile phone, requesting her to meet him at his residence.

She added that, upon her arrival, the accused informed her that, he had a vision that her daughter will get pregnant at the end of that particular month.

According to the witness, she then informed her friend, Betty, on the issues and she suggested that, a pregnancy test be done on the victim, noting that, she conducted the test and observed that, her daughter was pregnant.

As a result of this development, she said, she informed her husband and when they approached Prophet Emmanuel Bankole on the issue at his residence, he gave her one hundred thousand Leones to abort the pregnancy.

 After aborting the second pregnancy, she said, she still allowed her daughter to continue to stay with Prophet Emmanuel Bankole.

After a while, she said, the accused sent her daughter away home on the grounds that, the victim was tarnishing his reputation in public. When the victim returned to her, the mother explained further, she said she observed that her daughter was pregnant for the third time.

Madam Aminata Bangura further told the court that, she decided to conduct another pregnancy test on her daughter, adding that, after conducting the test, she observed that her daughter was again pregnant for the third time.

She said when she enquired from her daughter; she accused Prophet Emmanuel Bankole of impregnating her for the third time and went on to disclose that.

The witness also told the court that, her daughter informed her that Prophet Emmanuel Bankole deflowered her at the Circular Road Cemetery, and had subsequent sex encounters with her at the Ascension Town and Kingtom Cemeteries in Freetown.

She concluded that, when her husband, friends including her approached the Prophet Emmanuel Bankole on the issue, he became very vociferous and aggressive and based upon this, she said, they reported the matter at the Central Police Division in Freetown.